Met Police officer was speeding without lights or sirens when he killed 'talented' geologist
A Metropolitan Police officer who was driving at three times the speed limit with no blue lights and sirens when he knocked down and killed a pedestrian has been given a suspended sentence.
PC Daniel Francis, 33, was chasing a suspect vehicle when he knocked down "talented" earth scientist Andrew MacIntyre Brown, 23, as he crossed the road in Hounslow.
Francis had admitted causing death by careless driving and was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday to 12 months, suspended for two years.
The court heard Francis was chasing a black Nissan after seeing a firework being thrown from the car towards a pedestrian on Whitton Road, shortly before midnight on 1 November 2019.
He sped his Peugeot police car towards the Nissan at speeds of up to 61mph in a bid to identify its registration number, the court heard.
Brown, originally from Glasgow, and another man were on a marked illuminated pedestrian crossing when Francis crashed into them after attempting to brake.
The officer chose not to activate his blue lights and sirens because he did not want to alert the driver he was chasing, he said in a police interview.
Francis, from Tongham in Surrey, carried out chest compressions at the scene before Brown was taken to St George’s Hospital in south London where he died on November 5 2019.
The second casualty was not seriously injured and has since made a full recovery, the court was told.
The victim’s mother Isabel Brown, from Glasgow, said her son was a "unique combination of clever, kind and artistic".
Having gained a degree in earth science at the University of Glasgow, Brown, who had a particular interest in volcanos, had hoped to start a new job at the Ministry of Defence in London when he was killed.
Speaking tearfully from behind a screen in court, she described receiving the devastating news he had been involved in a crash and spending days in hospital at his side before he died.
She said: "He had plans, he had a future and this has been taken away from him. He was 23 years of age. We will miss him forever. We will be heartbroken forever."
Sentencing, Justice Hilliard said of Brown: "He had his adult life ahead of him. It was a life of talent and promise in which he would I am sure have contributed much to others."
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Francis' lawyer Edmund Gritt issued an apology to Brown's family on his client's behalf.
He said: "PC Francis became a police officer in order to protect the public. On November 1 2019 he followed the Nissan in accordance with his duties as a police officer to protect the public.
"That was what he was trying to achieve. But what he brought about in a matter of seconds was the complete opposite."
Francis was also ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work, complete 20 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement and was disqualified from driving for 18 months.
The court heard he would face conduct proceedings after the conclusion of the case.
Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, of Scotland Yard, said: "This is a very sad case. Our thoughts are with Mr Brown’s family and friends and we offer our sincere condolences for their loss.
"The IOPC, which is fully independent of the police, launched an investigation into this case and we fully co-operated.
"Our officers are aware that if their driving falls below the expected standard, they can be prosecuted and brought to account."