A second police officer faces disciplinary action over the response to a 999 call which left a boy of 15 paralysed.
PC Sarah De Meulemeester, 26, topped 61mph on 30mph limit roads and went the wrong way round a traffic island en route to an emergency in Stockport on Boxing Day, 2020. Her patrol car crashed into Khia Whitehead, 15, on Garners Lane in Adswood, Stockport, leaving him with catastrophic brain injuries.
After she was convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving today (Friday), it emerged that the police watchdog which investigated the case has also probed the conduct of a second officer who responded to the incident, believed to be in the patrol car behind PC De Meulemeester.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
That officer, and PC Meulemeester, now faces a gross misconduct hearing at GMP, the Independent Office Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed.
The watchdog confirmed it investigated three officers in all.
Evidence gathered during the investigation showed PC De Meulemeester’s vehicle topped 61mph prior to the collision on Garners Lane, where the speed limit was 30mph. As a basic level police driver, PC De Meulemeester was required to observe all speed limits and was not entitled to use the statutory exemptions available to police drivers who have had advanced training, said the IOPC.
Her vehicle was one of three driving in convoy, having left Cheadle Heath police station at the same time to attend the incident, where a man was said to be threatening his mother.
When information arrived en route that the man had a knife, one of the three police officers - who was authorised to drive above the speed limit - overtook PC De Meulemeester and switched on their emergency lights.
Speed data from her Peugot 308 police car showed PC De Meulemeester initially slowed down slightly to allow her colleague to overtake, but then increased her speed again. While following the other vehicle, she reached speeds of more than twice the legal limit, said the IOPC.
She initially told investigators she had been travelling at a 'normal road speed' and declined to answer further questions in interview about the manner of her driving and her rationale for it, said the watchdog.
While on Garners Lane, PC De Meulemeester overtook a member of the public’s car and went on the wrong side of a traffic island and struck Khia as he was crossing the road.
The trial heard the driver of the following patrol car, named in court as PC McDohl, was driving 'too close' to PC De Meulemeester and had to swerve and mount the pavement to avoid also hitting Khia.
After today's conviction, IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “This incident has had a catastrophic effect on the lives of Khia and his family and the last few years will have been incredibly difficult for them.
"That PC De Meulemeester was responding to an emergency does not excuse the dangerous actions that have irrevocably changed the life of Khia, who was simply trying to cross the road.
“Her conviction will not erase the hardship he and his family have endured, and will continue to endure, but our independent investigation has ensured the officer responsible has been held accountable for her actions."
The jury found PC De Meulemeester guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The officer, of Mill Court, Chinley, Derbyshire, had admitted her driving was careless but denied it was dangerous.
They returned their verdicts after just two hours and 30 minutes of deliberations following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Members of Whitehead's family said 'yes' in the public gallery as the foreman of the jury delivered the jury's verdict. Others wept and hugged each other. The defendant, standing in the dock, showed no reaction.
PC De Meulemeester was released on bail pending her sentencing hearing next month but Judge David Aubrey KC warned her 'all options' remained open to him, including a jail sentence.
Adjourning the sentencing until May 19, Judge Aubrey told the defendant: "You have been granted bail in the intervening period. However, all options including immediate custody remain open to the court and in the forefront of my mind has to be in accordance with legal principles such as sentencing notwithstanding your impeccable character that I will consider matters on May 19."
The judge also handed the PC an interim driving disqualification until the sentencing hearing, and he thanked Khia's family and friends in the public gallery who he said had 'behaved impeccably throughout the trial notwithstanding the emotional charged nature' of it.
With the boy's family watching on, in her evidence the defendant told the court: "There's no words that can ever begin to say how sorry I am, how sorry I am this happened. There's nothing that can make it right."
A statement from GMP said: "Greater Manchester Police acknowledges the verdict from today and we will now consider the progression of disciplinary proceedings following the IOPC’s investigation, its conclusion and the verdict of the criminal case."
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
- 'My son's vomiting was put down to a hangover - the next day he was dead'
- Tragedy of fit and healthy young man, 29, who died suddenly just months before his wedding
- Sticky floors, Ben Sherman shirts, Lynx Africa and cig burns - the 'cheesy' 90s night club people would love back
- Drunk teenager tried to swap seats after crashing Ford Fiesta on way home from pub
- CCTV appeal after robber with handgun threatens Post Office staff for cash
