Dantay Roche admits offences over fatal Ilford collision

Dantay Roche has pleaded guilty to three offences over a 2023 collision in Ilford that killed Marie Theobald and her two dogs. He is being held in custody and is due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on January 25, 2027. Roche, 24, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, criminal damage and causing death by driving an uninsured vehicle. The pleas were entered at the Old Bailey on October 28, 2026, according to a report of the hearing. The collision happened at about 5 p.m. on December 22, 2023, as Theobald, 48, crossed Manford Way with her Maltese dogs, Riley and Honey. Police said Roche was driving a Seat Leon at about 61 mph in a 30 mph zone when he struck them. Theobald and both dogs died at the scene. Police said CCTV footage showed Roche parking the damaged car in a nearby cul-de-sac, getting out with a passenger to inspect it, then leaving. He surrendered at Ilford police station the following day. The vehicle was later identified as registered to him. The Metropolitan Police said forensic collision investigators assessed the car’s speed, while digital enquiries placed Roche in the area at the time. Those details were described by police; the account of the...