A drink driver being chased by police in a stolen Land Rover ploughed into and killed a female motorist after he damaged the steering while trying to escape officers in a farmer's field.
Marcin Jablonski, 44, crashed the £90,000 Defender into a Nissan Juke on the A143 near Earsham moments after returning to the road having tried to evade police by driving through 6ft maize crops.
The Polish pair appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Monday where Jablonski was jailed for 12 years and Urbaniak for two.
THE CHASE
The court was told the Land Rover was stolen just a couple of hours earlier from a business in Newmarket. Two days earlier, Urbaniak had stolen the keys during a burglary there.
A police helicopter was monitoring the chase from above and filmed the Land Rover as it drove around the field.
"He can't see over....the crops are taller than he is."
Chris Youell. prosecuting, said the vehicle suffered damage to its steering in the field which meant that when Jablonski returned to the road, he lost control.
Mr Youell said the Land Rover "lost its control systems because of what happened in the field".
The damage was so significant it led to a complete and catastrophic failure of the vehicle’s offside front steering and inbuilt computer.
Mr Youell said when Jablonski came back onto the A143 the damage caused him to "swerve" into oncoming traffic and crash into Mrs Mballow-Baldeh's car.
THE BURGLARY
Following the crash, police launched an investigation and found that the keys to the Defender had been stolen during a burglary at a flooring business in Newmarket in the early hours of August 11, together with jewellery, handbags, alcohol, and a computer terminal.
Forensic analysis found Urbaniak’s DNA on a kitchen window which was used during the break-in and CCTV footage showed one of the suspects dressed in black shorts and a hooded top with a distinctive pair of gloves with a strap across the back of the hand.
Urbaniak was dressed in the same clothes when he was arrested after the Earsham crash.
Keys to a lorry linked to the burglary were also found in the pocket of his hooded top.
Police believe that the father and son had returned to the burglary scene with the stolen Land Rover keys earlier on August 13. Once they had the vehicle, they headed along the A143.
REPEAT DRINK DRIVER
The court heard Jablonski - of Mutfordwood Lane, Carlton Colville, near Lowestoft - was over the drink drive limit.
He already had three previous convictions for drink driving, including in May 2023 and was banned from driving at the time of the tragedy.
Urbaniak, from Newmarket, admitted aggravated vehicle taking and burglary.
TRIBUTE TO VICTIM
Before the pair, originally from Poland, were sentenced the court heard a statement from Mrs Mballow-Baldeh's husband Bocar who said they were "so very much in love" and "wished to have a large family" together.
He said she "wanted to become a mother" and was not only a "beautiful and loving person on the inside" but a "very beautiful person on the outside too".
He added he had been "left with an empty space" where his wife used to be.
He said: "She was my everything - the love of my life."
Jailing Jablonski for a total of 12 years Judge Anthony Bate said Mrs Mballow-Baldeh was "hit without any warning by an oncoming driver in an unlawfully taken and by now unroadworthy vehicle".
Judge Bate said Jablonski "repeatedly evaded police and pressed on with its steering compromised with tragic consequences".
He sentenced Urbaniak to two years imprisonment.
Matthew McNiff, mitigating for Jablonski, said he had pleaded guilty and nothing other than an immediate sentence of imprisonment was appropriate.
He said Jablonsk offered his "unqualified apologies" and would "live with what he has done as others have to live with the consequences".
Stephen Mather, for Urbaniak, said his client was of previous good character but had been in debt.
TRAGEDY IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT INTO WORDS
Detective Inspector David McCormack of Norfolk Police, who led the investigation, said: “It’s impossible to put into words the truly awful impact of this tragedy, and our thoughts remain with Mrs Mballow-Baldeh’s husband, family, and friends.
“Jablonski and Urbaniak’s decision to drive on that day, drive a stolen vehicle and drive so recklessly without a second thought for anyone else who happened to be on that road at the same time, just going about their day-to-day business, is heart-breaking.
"They had every opportunity to stop and they chose not to, and that decision had devastating consequences and caused terrible suffering that was wholly avoidable.”
The incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is standard procedure. The IOPC is conducting an independent investigation into the incident.
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