A Metropolitan Police officer who knocked a suspected criminal from his bike has been cleared by a jury of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Arnold Taylor, aged 46, was seriously injured when PC Eugene Acheampong, 28, chased after him in a marked BMW police car in Wood Green, north London, in August 2019, reports ITV News.
Taylor and another man had allegedly been observed “tampering” with parked cars shortly beforehand, reports ITV News, with a second police officer who was in the car getting out to talk with them.
When Taylor made off on his bike, Acheampong gave chase, and the cyclist lost control and “just seemed to disappear,” the officer said in a police interview last year.
He sustained injuries including fractures to his cheek, ribs and vertebrae, collapsed lungs and a broken tooth, as well as collapsed lungs and was taken to the Royal London Hospital.
Southwark Crown Court heard that Acheampong, who denied the offence, was driving at 27mph when he hit the bike’s rear wheel, causing the rider to fall.
The jury yesterday found him not guilty on the charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and are still considering their verdict on the lesser charge of careless driving.
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The small frame, the aggressive posture, lots of standover height.
As i've said before, the police should be sued for a lot of money when someone they have knowingly ignored has gone on to commit a serious crime....
'Bad parking' blocks firefighters multiple times on same emergency call-out...
Cambridgeshire boy, 13, crashes Audi into garden wall after taking it from home...
Good stuff. Now do it on cycleway C9 through Hammersmith to Chiswick.
It's technically allowed but it's not known as "London's Orbital Car Park" for nothing.
You're defending bombing hospitals and refugee camps and starving children.
Used car salesman is a complete attention-seeking plank....
I don't know if they're any better, but they's certainly become more boring.
At risk of being cynical, and stereotyping the police, it's so they don't have to leave the comfort of their panda cars and pursue on foot when...