Sussex Police officer who hit man with car cleared of misconduct
The victim was seriously injured in Brighton in 2019
A former Sussex Police officer who hit and seriously injured a man with his car while driving to an emergency incident has been cleared of misconduct.
PC Louis Wellfare, who is 30, was travelling in Brighton at the time of the incident on July 19th, 2019.
A three-day misconduct hearing, held at Horsham police station, heard that PC Wellfare swerved while trying to overtake a taxi turning right, causing him to hit a pedestrian on the pavement.
The man suffered serious leg injuries and was taken to hospital.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began an investigation following a mandatory referral from Sussex Police shortly after the incident.
It concluded that the officer should face a gross misconduct hearing for potential breaches of the standards of professional behaviour relating to his manner of driving.
It also referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which in March 2021, decided to charge the officer with causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
A year later, former PC Wellfare was acquitted of the charge following a trial at Brighton Crown Court.
Following the outcome of the misconduct hearing, Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme, Deputy Head of Sussex Police's Professional Standards, said:
"Sussex Police takes all matters of conduct seriously and always provide all support to any IOPC investigation.
"Officers are expected to drive to the highest standards at all times, and receive specialist training to be able to meet the additional skill required to respond with blue lights and sirens.
"In this case, the panel, led by an LQC (legally qualified chair), made their decision based on all the evidence and were clear that former PC Wellfare’s conduct did not breach the standards of professional behaviour.
"Regardless of fault or blame, we are sorry that a member of the public was injured in this incident.
"Emergency response driving always comes with risk, but this is weighed against our need to get to incidents quickly in order to protect the public and catch criminals."