Police officer jailed for killing woman in crash

A police officer who crashed and killed a woman while responding to an emergency call to help a choking baby has been jailed for two years and three months.

Mark Roberts, 57, drove through a red light at speed and struck Ronald and Muriel Pinkney's motorbike near the Metrocentre in Gateshead in July 2022, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 74-year-old died days later in hospital, with her family telling the court her death had been devastating but they did not want Roberts jailed.

Roberts, from Darlington, had admitted careless driving for what he called a "tragic accident" but was found guilty of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was at Whickham Police Station on 8 July 2022 when, shortly before 15:00 BST, he was dispatched to a grade one emergency call for a five-week-old baby struggling to breathe in Dunston, judge Francis Laird KC said.

As he crossed a bridge over the the A1, he went through a red light at an average speed of 43mph and struck the motorbike, which had just left the dual carriageway and was turning in front of him, the court heard.

He braked hard but was travelling at between 25 and 27mph when he hit the bike, the court heard.

The trial had heard Roberts briefly lost consciousness in the collision, but when he came to he offered first aid to the Pinkneys until an ambulance arrived.

Muriel Pinkney died several days later from blunt head force injuries while her husband spent a month in hospital being treated for injuries including a bleed on the brain and fractures to his shoulder, leg and rib cage.

In a statement read to the court, the Pinkneys' daughter Dawn Hunter said her parents had been "inseparable "for 56 years and were living life to the fullest together".

Since her mother's death, she said her father had lost his life partner and had "gone from doing everything with [his wife] to doing pretty much nothing".

She said her father had been left with a limp and no longer wanted to ride a motorbike, something he had done since he was a teenager.

The couple had bought the Royal Enfield Himalayan motorbike so they could go out on trips together, the court heard.

Muriel Pinkney was an "attentive" mother and her death had been devastating for the whole family, Hunter said.

With regards to Roberts, she said: "We don't blame the officer for what happened."

She admitted they had been angry for a long time but "the more we heard about why he was driving the way he was, the more we understand," adding they did not want his life ruined or for him to go to prison "for doing his job".

Hunter also said the family were "really thankful" for Roberts apologising and accepting careless driving and "ideally" he would not have been found guilty of the dangerous driving offence.

In mitigation, Luke Ponte KC said Roberts was "devastated" and had tried to offer first aid to the couple despite losing consciousness himself in the crash.

The court heard Roberts spent 22 "exemplary" years in the Army serving in Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, then upon his release immediately joined Durham Police before moving to Northumbria in 2017.

Roberts had lived a "remarkable life of public service" which was "dedicated to the service of others", Ponte said.

Judge Laird said Roberts was a highly trained officer who made "serious errors".

He said Roberts had been responding to a "grave emergency" which could have resulted in the death of a child, but he should still have driven with caution and care.

While Roberts had been "entitled" to use exemptions relating to speed limits and traffic lights when responding to an emergency, the driver had been trained to do so appropriately and with caution, the judge said.

He added Roberts' speed approaching the junction had been too high and the officer was "so focused on getting to [his destination]" he "failed to notice" the motorbike.

Laird also said it was "very concerning" when Roberts told a probation officer emergency responders "commonly fail to comply with the obligation to treat red lights as a give way junction and simply rely on other road users to stop".

"That suggests you deliberately chose not to observe the law and your training," he told Roberts, who was also banned from driving for five years and one month and will have to pass an extended test.

Speaking after sentencing, Assistant Chief Constable Andy Hill said he wished to express sincere condolences to the Pinkney family on behalf of the force.

He said he also wanted to "recognise the dignity" they had shown throughout.

The case was referred as "standard practice" to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which investigated and referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration of criminal charges, Hill said.

"Each and every day we respond to emergencies and thankfully tragedies of this nature are extremely rare," he said.

"Regrettably, on this occasion the standard of driving fell short of what it is expected, which has led to the most devastating of outcomes."

Misconduct proceedings against Roberts were also under way, Northumbria Police said.

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