The family of Khia Whitehead insist they will 'never give up' on the teenager after a serving police officer 'destroyed his life'. PC Sarah De Meulemeester was only authorised to be a 'basic driver' at Greater Manchester Police, meaning she had to stick to speed limits.
But the officer drove at more than twice the limit through Stockport on a wet Boxing Day in 2020, as she was one of three cars responding to a 'grade one emergency', Liverpool Crown Court heard. The 26-year-old overtook a car and drove on the wrong side of a traffic island on Garners Lane, Adswood, when she hit then-15-year-old Khia.
De Meulemeester, of Mill Court, Chinley, Derbyshire, was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following a trial. Today (May 19), she was locked up for 30 months and banned from driving for two years.
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Khia's family have released a series of heartbreaking images of the teenager in hospital following the devastating collision which paralysed him. They show the youngster lying in a bed, with the tubes that were described in court to help him breathe.
In a statement released following the sentencing, Khia's family said: “We are delighted with the outcome of this case and thank the judge for making his decision. We know nothing is ever going to be justice for what she did to our family and destroying our son’s life.
“Her jail sentence is not going to bring Khia back but having her held accountable for her actions sets a tone to all the other police officers who continuously break their own laws: ‘No emergency is so great that it justifies injuring or killing someone, it is better to arrive late than not at all’. Police officers are not above the law and will be investigated and brought to justice.
"We would like to thank the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) for their thorough investigation and our amazing community for all their continued love and support. We really couldn’t have got through the past two years without you all.
"We hope now that this outcome will bring our family some peace and we can let some of this pain go and focus all our love and attention back into helping Khia come back to us. We will never give up on him.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard victim impact statements read on behalf of relatives of Khia. His mum told the court Khia was treated at the Manchester Royal Infirmary for nine months and was ‘initially in a permanent vegetative state with little awareness of the world around him’.
She said her son is now 'like a newborn baby' and requires 24-hour care from specialist nurses, including an hour of 'brain rest' a day. Khia suffered severe head and brain injuries following the collision.
Following the hearing today, IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “While today’s verdict brings these criminal proceedings to an end, the effects of this collision on the lives of Khia and his family will last a lifetime. Our investigation has ensured PC De Meulemeester was held accountable for her dangerous actions that day, which had devastating consequences for Khia.
“Now criminal matters have concluded, it will be for GMP to arrange misconduct hearings for PC De Meulemeester and another officer we found has a case to answer for gross misconduct in relation to their driving prior to the collision. Khia’s family have requested that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.”
GMP has been approached for comment.
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