Sussex Police officer cleared of killing pedestrian with patrol car
A judge has described the death of Arthur Holscher-Ermert in Peacehaven as a 'tragic incident'
A Sussex Police officer has been cleared of killing a pedestrian with his patrol car after charges were dropped at the 11th hour.
PC Christopher Corker, 40, was alleged to have knocked down and killed 27-year-old Arthur Holscher-Ermert in a road in Peacehaven, East Sussex.
Mr Holscher-Ermert was struck by the vehicle just after 11.10pm on April 30 2022, and was confirmed dead at the scene.
The incident had been caught on graphic video footage shown in court at an earlier hearing.
Corker, of Shandon Road, Worthing, West Sussex, had pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.
On Monday, the Sussex Police officer, who was on unconditional bail, attended the Old Bailey for what had been scheduled to be the first day of his trial.
However, prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC offered no evidence at a hearing before Judge Richard Marks KC, saying that in light of expert reports there was no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction.
Members of Mr Holscher-Ermert's family sat in court for the short hearing.
Judge Marks formally entered not guilty verdicts and offered his condolences to the family, saying: "It appears to have been a tragic accident."
As the officer left court, one of those in court told him: "You are still responsible for killing Arthur. Never forget his name. Never. Dirty bastard."
In a statement after the hearing, the family said: "Instead of attending trial today, we as a family have had to process the sudden news that the CPS are discontinuing criminal proceedings against Pc Corker.
"This is incredibly upsetting and disappointing; it has been over two years since Arthur died.
"We were hoping to start to get answers about what happened to Arthur and why on April 30, 2022.
"We are shocked to now find out that Pc Corker isn't going to be held criminally accountable for what he has done.
"Our fight for the truth and accountability goes on. We now look ahead towards Arthur's inquest."