Police officer convicted of crash death
A WEST Mercia Police officer who travelled at speeds of up to 110mph before crashing into another car – killing a driver – has been convicted of causing death by careless driving.
Jamie Holloway ploughed into the back of David Shaw’s Ford Fiesta, causing it to flip twice and land on its roof on the opposite carriageway on the busy A449 near the village of Acton, halfway between Worcester and Kidderminster.
Mr Shaw, aged 53 and from Holt Heath near Droitwich, suffered catastrophic injuries and died on June 11, 2018.
Holloway, 50, a qualified advanced driver and trained firearms officer, was cleared by a Worcester Crown Court jury of the most serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving but convicted on a majority decision of causing death by careless driving.
An officer since 2002, Holloway sobbed and placed his head in his hands as the verdict was read by the jury foreman.
There was confusion in court with Holloway initially led to believe he had been cleared of any wrong-doing, after the foreman replied “not guilty” to the death by dangerous driving charge.
However, the judge – who has discretion in law to allow a jury to correct its decision in certain circumstances – took the foreman’s verdict a second time, after jurors raised the fact there had been a misunderstanding.
He was bailed to appear at the same court for sentencing next month.
Holloway, who was in the car with a colleague, crashed while responding to a call for back-up from other officers.
Mr Shaw, who had been in a queue of Bank Holiday traffic travelling at 37mph, was signalling and moving right as he was struck by Holloway’s unmarked BMW X5, which was on blue lights and sirens and travelling well above the road’s 50mph speed limit at 2.51pm on May 28, 2018.
A collision investigator calculated the police 4x4’s brakes were applied 1.5 seconds, or 60 metres, before the crash, when it was travelling at 103mph. At the point of impact, the police vehicle was doing 75mph, after heavy braking.
Holloway has already resigned from West Mercia Police.