Police officer gets final warning after driving at 89mph in 30mph zone

A MET Police officer has been given a final warning after he drove at 89mph in a 30 zone, moments before a crash which left a man with serious injuries.

A misconduct hearing heard that on August 6 2017, PC Varinder Sehmi was on route to an incident after a caller said their ex was threatening to hurt them, but the caller was not judged to be in imminent danger.

Prior to taking the call, PC Sehmi drove the vehicle at 53mph in a 30mph zone without activating his sirens and with no explanation for doing so.

As he was responding to the call, he activated his sirens and drove through a red light, travelling at least 60mph through a residential area in Ealing. At one point he reached 89mph – nearly three times the speed limit – and when he collided with a vehicle at the junction of Uxbridge Road and Dane Road he was driving between 43 to 49mph.

The member of public in the other car suffered serious injuries, including multiple fractures.

In court, PC Sehmi was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and given a two-year driving ban.

During the investigation, his colleague PC Donna Coker provided a false statement, claiming the member of public “looked drunk” and claimed to have discussed this with officers at the scene.

However, a Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) officer noticed “a number of inconsistencies” in PC Coker’s report and the statement of one other officer.

This was flagged to the investigation team and, following enquiries, CCTV evidence showed she had not approached the member of the public as she had claimed.

An investigation also found that, after sending the false statement to her manager, PC Coker forwarded it on to Sehmi saying: “FYI my statement is done. Hope it helps.”

She was found guilty in court and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.

A misconduct outcome looking into PC Sehmi’s conduct was released on Friday October 8, which said he “can have been in no doubt that this was wrong, especially given that the call was not to someone in imminent danger.”

The panel found that: “He can also have been in no doubt that this was highly dangerous behaviour.

“The speeds he drove at – up to 89mph – and his going through a red traffic light without braking were dangerous to other road users and himself and his colleagues.

“In behaving as he did, PC Sehmi caused actual harm through the grave physical and psychological injuries to the member of the public, the less grave injuries to his colleagues and through the damage he caused.

“I would like to say how very sorry I am about the member of the public’s injuries and trauma. I do hope he is now recovering. I have not named him so as not to run any risk of continuing that trauma.

“PC Sehmi put the public and his colleagues at grave risk of harm as well.”

However, the panel did find that PC Sehmi had a highly creditable record of service and that he was acting in good faith.

PC Sehmi has shown remorse and has apologised to the member of the public, the outcome report stated.

Concluding, and handing PC Sehmi a final written warning, it said: “I think PC Sehmi has learnt from his experience, will protect the public better in future and certainly will do his best to prevent others from behaving in a similar way – therefore the purposes of upholding high standards and protecting the public will be achieved.”