Van driver in court after girl, 4, dies in motorway crash

Martin Newman has appeared in Newport Magistrates’ Court charged with causing death by dangerous driving on the M4.

The crash happened on the M4 near Newport (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)

A 41-year-old van driver has appeared in court after a four-year-old girl was killed on a motorway near Newport South Wales.

Martin Newman, of South Avenue in Croeserw, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and two offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after the incident on the M4 on Saturday, February 5.

The collision, which involved a van and a car, happened on the westbound carriageway between junctions 28 and 29 at about 1.45pm.

The car contained a mother and her two children and was being driven by the mother’s partner. All four were taken to hospital.

The young girl died on Sunday morning, while her three-year-old brother remains in a critical condition. Their mother also remains in hospital in a stable condition.

At Newport Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Newman spoke only to confirm his name and address.

District Judge Martin Brown remanded him into custody pending a hearing at Newport Crown Court on February 21.

Anyone with dashcam footage of the collision, or any information that could help the investigation, is asked to call 101 and quote 2200041245.