Cleveland Police officer cleared after crash left two teenagers seriously injured

A police officer has been found not guilty of driving without due care or attention after being involved in a collision that seriously injured two teenagers.

PC David French was driving a police van on Grewgrass Lane in Marske, last year when it collided with a Vauxhall Corsa, injuring an 18-year-old man and 17-year-old girl.

A judge found that had been distracted and this resulted in the collision, however, his actions did not reach the criminal standard of proof, following a trial at Teesside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

The Cleveland Police officer was one of two responding to a report of an abandoned quad bike on Grewgrass Lane and returned to the police van to leave once it was recovered.

In his initial account to Cleveland Police, PC French said the van was stationary when the collision occurred. However, body-cam footage was reviewed, the incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and he later admitted the police van had pulled out onto the road before the collision.

The IOPC then passed the evidence onto the CPS who filed charges.

IOPC Regional Director Emily Barry said: “My sympathies remain with the two young occupants of the Vauxhall Corsa, who sustained serious injuries, and all those affected by the incident in May 2022.

“This incident has had a profound impact on the lives of these young people and their families, and this is something they will have to live with for many years to come.

“Given the seriousness of the allegation, it was right for the evidence to be tested in a public court. It was a matter for the judge, applying a far higher evidential threshold than the one we must use when considering referral to the CPS, to determine whether PC French drove without due care and attention, and I am grateful for their careful consideration of this case.”

The IOPC said PC French had a case to answer for gross misconduct in relation to his driving prior to the collision.

It will be for Cleveland Police to arrange a disciplinary hearing in due course, a spokesperson added.

A statement from Cleveland Police on the matter, said: “Following the outcome of PC French’s trial at Teesside Magistrates Court on 13 June 2023, Cleveland Police confirm that a misconduct process was already being undertaken in parallel to the criminal matter and any disciplinary procedure or outcome will be communicated at the appropriate time.”

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