Thames Valley Police officer accused of lying over alleged M4 speeding offence

A Thames Valley police officer is due to face a disciplinary hearing over an alleged speeding offence while transporting a suspect.

PC Argyle, based in Newbury, is accused of breaching several rules after being caught driving at 62mph in a 50mph zone on the M4 in August 2022.

They are also alleged to have lied about the reasons for the speeding by falsely claiming that the alleged speeding was caused by the suspect being 'upset' and 'verbally abusive'.

PC Argyle will face a disciplinary hearing on 24 and 25 April, which will decide whether their actions constituted gross misconduct.

PC Argyle initially filled in an exemption form eleven days after the incident, claiming that the prisoner was moving around so much that they needed to speed up to get off the motorway.

They added that the suspect was then spoken to at the roadside and calmed down enough to continue the journey.

However, after further clarification was requested, PC Argyle sent another email saying "No exemption is being claimed. I was distracted but it’s no excuse.”

The force have said that PC Argyle faces the possibility of being dismissed from the force if found guilty of the alleged breaches.

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