Northampton doctor kills father of two
A doctor has been jailed for three and a half years after his dangerous driving caused the death of a beloved father
A doctor has been jailed for three and a half years after his dangerous driving caused the death of a beloved father.
Dr Hammanjulde Hammawa, a 65-year vascular consultant, was late for a clinic being hosted at the Irthlingborough Nene Clinic on the morning of November 29, 2022, when he crossed the double white lines on the B645 Chelveston Road near to Hargrave village in order to overtake an HGV.
However, as he moved into the opposing lane, his black Mercedes collided head-on with father-of-two Maciej Stepien, who was riding a silver Yamaha motorcycle at the time.
Maciej, who had turned 40 just 11 days prior to the collision, sadly died at the scene, and Hammawa was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Despite initially pleading not guilty, Hammawa appeared at Northampton Crown Court on May 19, 2025, where he changed his plea and admitted the offence.
He returned to the same court today (July 15) where he was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
At the sentencing hearing, a poignant victim impact statement was read out by his wife and mother of his two children - Joanna.
In it, she said: “Maciej wasn’t just a statistic, or just another senseless casualty of dangerous and irresponsible driving.
“Maciej was a very rare and extraordinary man of many talents, skills and passions, and a great personality. He was a technical engineer and head of IT at a company based in Cambridgeshire where he was responsible for all the IT systems, servers, software and hardware, as well as developing new products and services, and supervising staff.
“He was a man of superior intelligence. His co-workers called him ‘magic’, as he could always find a solution to any problem, no matter how complex.
“Maciej also loved cars, motorbikes, DIY and music. He loved tinkering in the garage, either fixing his car, motorbike, or some other device, or creating something from wood, or continuing with one of his many projects. There wasn’t a thing he couldn’t mend.
“He also loved helping people. In his youth he was a volunteer fire-fighter and throughout his life he was always available whenever someone he knew needed a helping hand.
“Above all, he loved music - he played the piano, accordion and harmonica, and would often play some classics for us such as Chopin or Mozart, entirely by the ear.
“Maciej had many dreams. He wanted to visit Japan, and was already learning Japanese. He also dreamt of being able to skydive one day and getting a pilot’s licence.
“It is truly heartbreaking that his life was cut short when there was so much ahead of him.
“My husband was my best friend; he knew me better than anyone else. He was also a wonderful father and a great role model to our children who were only four and six when he passed away. It is heartbreaking to know that their father will not teach them how to ride a bike or build a bookcase, or fend for themselves. There will be no more memories. Their wish for Santa to bring Daddy back will never come true.
“One day, and way too soon, Mr Hammawa’s sentence will come to an end; we on the other hand will be left with this pain and emptiness forever.
“My husband’s death came way too soon. We were completely unprepared to part our ways. Maciej brought so much love and laughter and happiness into our lives and now he is gone forever. It is still difficult to fully comprehend that he is not coming back.
“We will miss him and feel his unbearable absence for the rest of our lives.”
Lead investigator - Detective Constable Lee Norton from Northamptonshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Team, said: “Maciej Stepien was a very special person and there are no words to describe the pain his wife and children feel every day knowing that they will never see him again.
“He was a clever, technically gifted family-man and the words written by his wife which were read out at court today are utterly heartbreaking. My thoughts are with her and their children and will be for a long time to come.
“Maciej died because of one person’s decision to make a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre and I truly hope Mr Hammawa understands the pain he has caused as a result of his reckless actions that day.
“This case is a lesson to all road users to ensure you allow yourself enough time for any journey you wish to make. On this day, Mr Hammawa did not do this, instead making a split second decision in his rush not to be late that cost Maciej his life.
“No sentence can ever make up for the loss of Maciej.”