Doctor who killed dad-of-two in Hargrave car smash 'while late for work' jailed

A doctor who killed a dad-of-two in a head-on crash as he was running late for work has been jailed for three years.

Dr Hammanjulde Hammawa, 65, crossed double white lines to overtake a lorry in his black Mercedes as he raced to work. He ploughed into a silver Yamaha motorbike being driven by Maciej Stepien on the B645 near the village of Hargrave, Northants. Mr Stepien, a technical engineer who had celebrated his 40th birthday days earlier, died at the scene of the crash which happened on November 29, 2022. Hammawa, a vascular consultant, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

He initially denied the charge but later changed his plea to guilty and was jailed for three years at Northampton Crown Court on Friday . The court heard he had been due at the Irthlingborough Nene Clinic, Northants., but was running late on the morning of the fatal crash.

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At the sentencing hearing, a poignant victim impact statement was read out by Mr Stepien’s wife Joanna paying tribute to the "wonderful father and role model". She said: “Maciej wasn’t just a statistic, or just another senseless casualty of dangerous and irresponsible driving.

“Maciej was a very rare and extraordinary man of many talents, skills and passions, and a great personality. He was a technical engineer and head of IT at a company based in Cambridgeshire where he was responsible for all the IT systems, servers, software and hardware, as well as developing new products and services, and supervising staff.

“He was a man of superior intelligence. His co-workers called him ‘magic’, as he could always find a solution to any problem, no matter how complex.

“He also loved helping people. In his youth he was a volunteer fire-fighter and throughout his life he was always available whenever someone he knew needed a helping hand.

“It is truly heartbreaking that his life was cut short when there was so much ahead of him. My husband was my best friend; he knew me better than anyone else.

“He was also a wonderful father and a great role model to our children who were only four and six when he passed away. There will be no more memories. Their wish for Santa to bring Daddy back will never come true.

“One day, and way too soon, Mr Hammawa’s sentence will come to an end; we on the other hand will be left with this pain and emptiness forever. My husband’s death came way too soon. We were completely unprepared to part our ways. Maciej brought so much love and laughter and happiness into our lives and now he is gone forever.

“It is still difficult to fully comprehend that he is not coming back. We will miss him and feel his unbearable absence for the rest of our lives.”

Detective Constable Lee Norton, from Northamptonshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Team, said: “Maciej died because of one person’s decision to make a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre and I truly hope Mr Hammawa understands the pain he has caused as a result of his reckless actions that day.

“This case is a lesson to all road users to ensure you allow yourself enough time for any journey you wish to make. On this day, Mr Hammawa did not do this, instead making a split second decision in his rush not to be late that cost Maciej his life.

“No sentence can ever make up for the loss of Maciej.”