Baby crash driver released early

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7698161.stm

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A man who was jailed for 21 months for causing a crash in which a baby suffered brain damage has been freed from prison after just six months.

Millionaire's son Antonio Boparan Singh, 21, was driving at 70mph in a 30mph zone in Sutton Coldfield in November 2006 when the crash happened.

Cerys Edwards, aged 11 months, was left paralysed and now needs 24-hour care.

Boparan has been fitted with an electronic tag and must observe a 0700 GMT until 1900 GMT curfew.

Cerys' family said they had been sent a letter by the Probation Service informing them that Boparan had been released from prison.

Boparan was jailed for 21 months in April

Her father Gareth Edwards said his release was a "complete outrage".

Boparan's family own the Two Sisters Food Group, based in West Bromwich.

The family's spokesman confirmed to BBC News that Boparan had been released.

At his trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Frank Chapman told him he had shown an "arrogant disregard" for safety.

Boparan, of Sutton Coldfield, was also banned from driving for five years.

Sentence call

At the time, the Edwards' family criticised the sentence handed down, saying they felt Boparan should have received the maximum two years.

Mr Edwards said of Boparan's release: "It just goes to show that we don't have a justice system in this country."

He has started an online petition demanding tougher sentences for dangerous drivers who cause injuries.

Cerys received months of care in a specialist unit in Surrey before returning to her family in Sutton Coldfield.

Mr Edwards added that his daughter was still on a ventilator.

Antonio Boparan Singh has said he wants to set up a trust fund in Cerys' name and to help raise awareness "amongst teenagers of the damage that can be caused by dangerous driving".

He said in a statement: "I'm so very, very sorry for causing an accident that has shattered the lives of the Edwards family and I'm painfully aware that my punishment will never compare to their suffering."