‘If His Wife Didn’t Allow Him To Sleep, Why Didn’t He Sleep In His Car?’

— Daddy Freeze Reacts To Kola’s 6-Year Jail Term.

Media personality Daddy Freeze has reacted to the six-year prison sentence handed to Nigerian-British taxi driver Kolawole Erunkulu after he fell asleep at the wheel and caused a crash that killed a 59-year-old man in Surrey, United Kingdom.

Erunkulu, 45, was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving following the fatal collision on the A23 in Merstham on August 17, 2025.

The crash happened shortly before 6:30 am when Erunkulu’s Audi veered across the carriageway after he suffered what investigators described as a “microsleep”.

The victim, 59-year-old Philip Dray, had pulled his vehicle into a layby to take a break and was getting back into his Volkswagen when he was struck. He died at the scene.

Investigations by Surrey Police found that Erunkulu had driven for approximately 53 hours over the three days preceding the crash. In the 12 hours immediately before the collision, he had also been working as a taxi driver, taking only short breaks.

His longest rest period over the three days was reportedly seven hours, while other breaks included one of about four hours and two of about two hours. Footage from inside his vehicle captured the moment he fell asleep before the car crossed the road and hit Dray.

At the sentencing, Judge Lees said the footage showed that Erunkulu was “extremely tired” and continued driving despite his condition. The judge noted that the tragedy could have been prevented had he stopped and slept.

Erunkulu was also disqualified from driving for eight years, with an extended driving test required if he later seeks to regain his licence. He could have faced a longer sentence had the case gone to trial, but his guilty plea reduced the term.

The case has since generated discussions about work pressure, exhaustion, and the circumstances that may have contributed to Erunkulu continuing to drive despite being severely fatigued.

Amid the discussions, claims have circulated that Erunkulu had been working for prolonged periods partly because of alleged difficulties at home and that he was reluctant to return home to sleep.

That aspect, however, was not part of the fatigue findings outlined by Surrey Police in its account of the case.

Reacting to the discussion, Daddy Freeze questioned why Erunkulu did not simply find somewhere safe to sleep if, as alleged, he was avoiding going home.

“If his wife didn’t allow him to sleep, why didn’t he sleep in his car?” Freeze asked, questioning the decision to continue driving while exhausted.

His comment has added another dimension to the debate, with the case serving as a stark reminder of the potentially fatal consequences of driving while severely sleep-deprived.

For the family of Philip Dray, however, the consequences are permanent. What began as a journey on a Surrey road ended in the loss of a 59-year-old man, while Erunkulu now faces years behind bars over a decision to keep driving when he was already dangerously tired.