A woman who is wanted on child cruelty charges after she and a baby fell from fell from a moving car is believed to be on the run in Tenerife.
Raychel Hardingham, 29, was seriously injured in the fall from a blue Volvo on the A1067 Fakenham Road, opposite the Shell petrol station in Taverham, Norfolk, in April 2023.
The child escaped with minor injuries and Hardingham was charged with assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, and abandoning a child to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.
Hardingham, of Briston, Norfolk, failed to appear before Norwich Magistrates’ Court and a warrant has since been issued for her arrest.
Now, it appears she is living on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife, according to her social media.
Hardingham told the Eastern Daily Press that she was in the resort of Playa de Las Americas and had no plans to return to the UK.
Speaking yesterday after enjoying a sunny day where temperatures reached almost 20C, she said: ‘This is a very complex case and I have had to leave my home in England.
‘I have had to come to Spain because I fear for my safety back home. I have had threats.
‘My mental health is bad and my address is in the public domain because of the case. So I can’t go home.
‘I did not want to come here, but until I can put measures in place to protect myself in England I will have to stay here. The weather is nice – but that is about the only good thing.’
Hardingham’s social media accounts show she has been enjoying life, posting scenic views on the Canary Island which is a favourite of Brits looking for sun all year around.
One of her posts on Facebook ‘liked’ a seafood restaurant near to where she is allegedly staying.
Hardingham told MailOnline: ‘I didn’t leave because of threats, I came on a five-day holiday that went wrong, and there were subsequent threats that stopped me from returning to the UK.’
She added: ‘I’m not on the run and the police know that, they know everything about the threats I’ve had. I wasn’t charged with child cruelty, it was child neglect, and nobody admitted I was subjected to a violent attack before the incident happened.’
Hardingham and the baby fell from the car on the A1067 Fakenham Road, opposite the Shell petrol station in Taverham, at 9.54pm on April 21, 2023.
She was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge after sustaining what was described as life-changing injuries, but she was discharged three weeks later.
The child was treated for minor injuries at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital but was released a few days later.
A spokesman for Norfolk Police told MailOnline: ‘Raychel Hardingham, 29, of Melton Constable, was charged on 13/06/2024 with assaulting/ill treating/neglecting/abandoning a child to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.
‘She failed to appear at court and a warrant was issued on 03/09/24.
‘Officers spoke with her in November 2024 when she confirmed she was in Tenerife and efforts are underway to return her to the UK.’
Following the incident, people living in Taverham spoke of their shock at what had happened.
Taverham parish council chairman Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou said: ‘I was horrified to hear what happened.
‘You don’t expect something like this to happen in Taverham. I’m shocked and only hope that the woman and child involved are alright.’
Others told of the ‘commotion’ as police closed the road and launched an investigation into the incident.
Officers appealed at the time to speak to witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage.
In 2015 Hardingham also admitted driving with excess alcohol and no insurance on November 24, and Rob New, defending, said she was ‘extremely regretful’ having given a reading of 188 milligrammes in 100ml of blood.
‘She feels she let herself, and indeed her family down,’ he told Eastern Daily Press. ‘She had gone out with friends and gone to get a cab when told they were either too busy or an incredibly long wait.
‘She went to collect a car she had left at her friend’s some months before. In a moment of madness and serious error of judgement she decided to drive the vehicle back.’
