Fiance weeps in court over death of daughter of Ecuadorian politician in crash
dailyrecord.co.ukThe fiance of an Ecuadorian politician’s daughter has wept in court as he described the “terrifying” moment she was killed by a speeding Mercedes.Vanessa Sagnay de la Bastida, 28, was struck by the car as she crossed a road near Wandsworth Bridge in west London while holding her fiance Michael Williams' hand.
Vanessa, who was known as Charlotte, was the daughter of Ecuadorian politician Carlos Sagnay de la Bastida, and had gone to school and university in Scotland.
Motorist Octavian Cadar, 39, is accused of causing her death after he was allegedly driving a Mercedes at more than double the 20mph speed limit at the time of the collision, which caused Ms Sagnay to somersault in the air and land on a railing.Ms Sagnay suffered a head injury and died at the scene around 13 minutes later, despite the efforts of an off-duty doctor.Giving evidence on Monday, her fiance Michael Williams said that he had known Ms Sagnay throughout school and university in Scotland, where they grew up.The couple had moved to London for work and study and had been on their way home from the gym when the accident happened on the evening of March 16 2022.Mr Williams said they had been holding hands as they began to cross Bridgend Road, having checked it was clear at the pedestrian crossing.Mr Williams told jurors: “We got halfway across the road when I heard a loud revving sound of a car accelerating and backfiring.“The car was coming toward me startlingly fast.
I think it was in the centre lane.“At first I froze. I was so confused. And then I took a couple of steps forward to get towards the central reservation.”Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.You'll receive daily updates on breaking news
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