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POLICE chiefs will decide if an officer involved in an accident while answering a 999 call should be disciplined.
North Wales Police will liaise with the Independent Police Complaints Commission to see if action should be taken against PC Jane Elizabeth Bottomley.
She drove through a red light on an emergency call in Rhyl in May, but hit a motorcyclist, seriously injuring him.
Yesterday Bottomley, 32, whose address was not disclosed in court, pleaded guilty to careless driving.
She was given an absolute dis-charge by Prestatyn magistrates with £50 costs.
Answering an emergency call provided special reasons why her licence should not be endorsed, magistrates said yesterday .
A North Wales Police spokes-woman said: “We will be liaising with the IPCC to decide on any action.”
Gareth Roberts, prosecuting, said on May 27 last year, PC Bottomley approached the junction of Rhyl High Street and Brighton Road.
She drove through the red light and collided with a motorbike ridden by student Kevin Jones, 18.
He had a broken collar bone, a dislocated collar bone and a broken wrist.
A police investigation concluded Mr Jones was driving properly, Bottomley braked but accelerated up to 30mph at the time of the collision.
Gareth Jones, defending, said: “She has never been involved in any previous road traffic accident, and has held a clean licence since she was 17.”
“One cannot help sympathising with her in this situation as she was responding to an emergency call from a woman who complained of a violent assault.
“Screaming could be heard in the background and she had attended a similar incident at this address before.
“It was a momentary lapse of concentration which had significant consequences for the motor-cyclist, and she is devastated and genuinely sorry for the injuries he sustained,” said Mr Jones.
Bottomley faced a possible internal disciplinary hearing, and a compensation claim, said Mr Jones.
Best Regards
Stuart XV16
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HELP KEEP THIS FORUM ALIVE! PLEASE DONATE.I bet she has a slap on the wrist and is told to be more careful in future. I hope Kevin Jones sues and gets a healthy wad! If police response drivers are expected to take these risks, the police authority must be expected to pay the consequences, not the individual as long as driving this way was proved to be neccessary.
There is never a copper around when you need one, only when you don’t!The roads are my race track!!
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