Drunk driver jailed after 141mph crash kills air hostess and infant nephew

Darryl Anderson was travelling at about 141 mph when his Audi Q5 crashed into the back of a Peugeot 308 carrying air hostess Shalorna Warner in the early hours of May 31, 2024, on the A1 near Newcastle. The collision killed Warner, her sister Karlene Warner, and Zackary Blades, the eight-month-old son of Warner who was in the back seat. Investigators said Anderson was three times over the legal limit for alcohol and had been distracted at the wheel.

Warner had been collecting her sister from Newcastle International Airport after a trip when the collision occurred. Anderson had been returning from a holiday in Antalya with his wife, who had flown home early, and witnesses said he had shown signs of intoxication and distraction moments before the crash.

Durham Constabulary officers, including PC Dan Cuthbertson, attended the scene with his police dog Louie. Louie located a mobile phone belonging to Anderson, a discovery that helped focus the inquiry. The device showed several calls and text messages made by Anderson in the moments before the collision, and a three-second-before-impact image captured on the phone showed the dashboard of his Audi Q5 at 141 mph and a red collision warning alert.

Investigators later established that Louie was able to locate the phone in part by detecting triphenyl phosphate, a chemical used on circuit boards of mobile devices. Louie became Durham Constabulary’s first digital-detection dog after being abandoned in Gateshead, then rescued and trained. The dog and PC Cuthbertson were later recognized with the Rising Star Award by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation for their role in the case.

Anderson pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison in July last year, according to court records. Judge Joanne Kidd told Anderson that he had 'played Russian roulette with the lives of every man, woman and child you passed on that journey' and that driving at about 140 mph with the accelerator pressed would inevitably cause serious injury and likely fatality.

Detective Constable Natalie Horner, of Durham Constabulary's Collision Investigation Unit, said the case underscores the dangers of speeding, using a mobile device while driving and drinking behind the wheel. 'We routinely remind people not to drive above the speed limit, not to use mobile phones, and not to get behind the wheel while intoxicated,' she said. The investigation illustrated how modern evidence—including digital traces and technical forensics—can be crucial in linking a suspect to a deadly crash.

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation highlighted Louie and Cuthbertson in its Rising Star Award, noting the dog’s pivotal role in the case and the enduring impact of the losses on the victims’ families. The foundation also recognized other canine teams and officers for bravery and service in recent years, placing the case within a broader context of policing support animals and the people who work with them.