PSNI constable cleared of causing injuries in accident

PSNI constable cleared of causing injuries in accident

9 March 2016

A POLICEMAN has been found not guilty of causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving after appearing before a judge and jury for a second time.

Constable John Wright (42) was accused of the offence following an accident in Meadowlands estate on the evening of August 31, 2014.

His first trial got underway at the end of January at Downpatrick Crown Court, but was later abandoned for legal reasons.

A second trial began last week and drew to a close on Monday afternoon when he was acquitted after the jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict.

The earlier trial heard that police had been called to the Downpatrick estate following reports that a man brandishing sharp knives was threatening to harm himself and others. The incident escalated when the man launched an arson attack on his property, prompting the evacuation of nearby houses.

One of those evacuated residents, Gary Smyth, was injured by Constable Wright when he moved a police vehicle in a parking area to make way for the Fire Service.

Constable Wright said he opened his car door after noticing a bump as he reversed. In a police interview, he said he panicked when he realised there was a person under his car.

He said there was so much commotion in the area due to the fire and rescue effort that nobody heard his first cries for help.

Mr Smyth managed to free himself from under the police car, while Constable Wright administered first aid treatment to him.

“My life just turned upside down immediately,” Constable Wright said. “At no stage up until I opened the police vehicle was I aware Mr Smyth was there.”

Describing the incident as a “terrible accident”, Wright told the investigating officer that visibility was very poor, which may have been aggravated by protective pillars and armoured plates on the police car.

“Obviously, just to be very clear, it was a dark, dark night, there had been torrential rain beforehand and there was a lot of smoke,” he said. “In my mind, I was careful and competent.”

The court also heard evidence from a police sergeant responsible for overseeing the Meadowlands incident.

She confirmed she had seen Mr Smyth before the accident when he had attempted to go past the burning building more than once.

She said she had the impression Mr Smyth, who admitted he had been drinking that day and had been awoken from sleep to evacuate his property, did not “know what was going on.”

“I found it hard to believe somebody would try to walk past the house that was fully ablaze at that time,” she said.

Mr Smyth, who had been evacuated from his home because of the arson attack at a neighbour’s house, suffered several fractures and spent 23 days in hospital following the accident.

He confirmed he had been out earlier that day for a couple of drinks and had drunk vodka at home before having a sleep.

When asked to leave his house by police, he said he initially went to go to his sister’s house nearby but remembered he had left money in his house that he wanted to go back to collect.

He claimed a policewoman wouldn’t let him return home past the house that was on fire and further alleged she forced him to go down nearby steps leading to a car park.

Mr Smyth said he was making his way through the car park towards his mother’s house when the accident happened.