Lorry driver who killed boy, 3, already had life sentence for murdering wife
A LORRY driver who killed a three- year- old boy as he sarcastically clapped a motorist previously murdered his wife, it emerged yesterday.
Dean Phoenix, 44, was jailed for 12 months for causing the death of Jaiden Mangan by careless driving.
Jaiden’s grandmother Mandy Matzen shouted out, ‘He has killed two people in his life and that’s all he gets!’ as he was sentenced yesterday.
It was revealed that Phoenix strangled his wife Naomi, 26, at their home in London. He was convicted of murder and jailed for life in July 2004. It is not clear when Phoenix was released from prison, but he was on licence at the time he struck Jaiden.
He failed to notice the lights on a pedestrian crossing had changed to red to allow Jaiden and his family to cross. Phoenix had become frustrated after his Sainsbury’s delivery lorry was blocked by a car parked illegally on zig-zag lines at the crossing in Wareham, Dorset.
As he tried to manoeuvre around it, he was seen swearing, gesticulating and sarcastically clapping another driver he thought had stopped to let him through a gap.
Bournemouth Crown Court was played CCTV footage showing Jaiden riding a bike, approaching the crossing with his mother Yasmin Dougan and seven-year- old sister Mijah. Phoenix drove forward without seeing them and struck the little boy.
Jaiden died later in hospital from his injuries. He would have turned four the next day. The court heard that Jaiden’s father, James Mangan, his grandmother and extended family rushed to the scene before the child was taken away by ambulance.
In statements read out in court, the distraught family told of the harrowing impact seeing him suffer had on them. Miss Dougan told Phoenix in her statement: ‘My life will never be the same. All I have are memories because of your actions and stupidity.
‘He’s my baby boy and I miss him so much. When I think of him now all I get is heartache and pain. You have taken the joy and happiness away from my life.’
Phoenix denied causing death by dangerous driving and was found not guilty by a jury on Thursday. He previously admitted the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving, for which he was jailed yesterday.
Passing sentence, Judge Jonathan Fuller told him: ‘ The image of Jaiden’s body under your vehicle will be engrained on the minds of all who saw it for some time, if not forever. It was a tragic and frightening scene.’
He added: ‘You failed to look properly in various mirrors – had you looked properly this accident would not have happened.
‘The responsibility was on you to drive with the care and competence required when you entered a hazardous zone.
‘You failed to exercise the degree of judgment, care and attention that was expected of a driver – not least a professional driver – moving forward on a pedestrian crossing.’ Phoenix was also disqualified from driving for 18 months from when he leaves prison.
Mr Mangan reacted with anger at the one-year sentence and stormed out of the court, shouting: ‘Is that all he gets?’
Other members of Jaiden’s family left the courtroom in tears and said there was ‘no justice’.
Phoenix, from Chineham, Hampshire, had told the court: ‘I couldn’t see the traffic lights – I thought they were still green.
‘I wasn’t expecting anyone to be on the crossing. It was an accident. I made a mistake.’