A police officer who caused a teenage boy to be left in a 'vegetative' state after crashing into him while responding to an emergency has been jailed. PC Sarah De Meulemeester, 26, drove at speeds of up to 61mph on 30mph roads in wet conditions through Stockport on Boxing Day 2020.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how De Meulemeester, who was not authorised by Greater Manchester Police to travel at excess speeds, was also going the wrong way around a traffic island. It followed a 'grade one' emergency when officers were told a suspect was carrying a knife.
De Meulemeester crashed into then-15-year-old pedestrian Khia Whitehead on Garners Lane in Adswood, leaving him paralysed and with catastrophic brain injuries. At a sentencing in Liverpool today (May 19), the court heard emotional impact statements from members of Khia's family.
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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.
De Meulemeester, of Mill Court, Chinley, Derbyshire, was previously found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following a trial. The court heard Khia was left in a persistent vegetative state following the smash, having suffered severe head and brain injuries.
He was standing in the hatched area behind the traffic island with a friend when another police car, with its blue lights on, sped past on its way to the domestic incident. The jury heard Khia was distracted watching the car after it passed and stepped into the road, not realising the defendant's vehicle and another GMP car were following.
Khia's friend with him on the day, who cannot be named for legal reasons, battled tears in court as he described the toll the incident had taken on him. He said it has 'ripped him apart' and he was devastated he would not be able to go on a 'lads holiday' with Khia.
Describing Khia as 'the most kind-hearted and genuine person', he added: "My life will never be the same and the trauma will stay with me."
Defending De Meulemeester, David Temkin insisted his client had remorse for her actions, and had suffered with panic attacks and anxiety since the collision.
The judge, David Aubrey KC, told the defendant: "You are 26 years old. You only ever wanted to be a police officer and you achieved your dream.
"You live and breathe being a police officer. All that effectively came to an end when on Boxing Day 2020 you did not stop, pause or think of the consequences of the manner in which you were driving.”
He told De Meulemeester, who was only authorised as a 'basic driver' at GMP, that she should never have driven at the speeds she did. "The court suspects that you were caught up in the adrenaline of the moment and had left all objectivity behind," he added.
De Meulemeester was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, of which she will serve half. She was also disqualified from driving for two years, with a 15-month extension period.
Judge Aubrey told De Meulemeester that 'anything less than a sentence of immediate custody would not be appropriate punishment. He added: "No sentence can ever be enough to compensate for the devastation your dangerous driving caused, or compensate for the quality of life which has been so cruelly shattered."
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