Police officer who struck pensioner on 999 call found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving

A police officer who struck a 74-year-old woman on a motorbike after speeding through a red light on a 999 call has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

PC Mark Roberts, 57, was answering an emergency call for a choking baby when he crashed into Ronald and Muriel Pinkney in Gateshead in July 2022.

Teesside Crown Court heard on Wednesday how Roberts was doing 43mph on a 30mph road as he approached the lights, which had been red for six seconds.

He had slowed to around 25mph when his marked Northumbria Police Peugeot 308 crashed into the married couple.

Both pensioners were knocked from their bike. Mr Pinkney, now 81, sustained a bleed on the brain and multiple fractures, but survived.

Mrs Pinkney sustained head and neck injuries, and was later pronounced dead.

Roberts, who lives in Darlington, admitted causing death by careless driving, but denied the more serious offence of causing death by dangerous driving.

He was also convicted of causing Mr Pinkney serious injury by dangerous driving.

Prosecutors claimed he should have approached the junction slower - even if it was in pursuit of a "noble cause".

In his police statement, Roberts said he was asked by paramedics to assist a choking five-week-old baby, because he could get there quicker then them.

He added that his blue lights and sirens were on after departing from Whickham police station.

Moments before the crash he said he saw a white van make an emergency stop.

"I couldn't see anything else before travelling towards the junction," the officer said in his statement, which was read out in court on Tuesday.

"The next thing I recall is there was a bang and both airbags deployed and I hit the windscreen, which knocked me out for a few seconds."

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Roberts then saw two people on the ground with crash helmets on before blacking out.

He called it a "tragic accident", and offered Mrs Pinkney's family his "sincere condolences".

In his police interview, Mr Pinkney said he heard a siren - but thought it was coming from a long way away.

"I had not seen the police car driven by PC Mark Roberts before the collision," he said.

Judge Francis Laird KC told jurors it was understandable to have sympathy for the Pinkneys - or the defendant.

He described Roberts as a "a serving police officer responding to an emergency and who, of course, never intended to cause anyone any harm".

The jury took 56 minutes to come to their verdicts.

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Judge Laird said: "The jury has convicted you of the more serious offences, and, with your background, you understand the significance."

He was granted bail ahead of his sentencing on 7 April. He will also face a misconduct hearing.

After the hearing, Assistant Chief Constable Andy Hill said: "I'm fully aware that no words will make the pain of Mr Pinkney, his family, and anyone impacted by this tragic incident, any easier.

"On behalf of Northumbria Police, I wish to express my sincere condolences for your loss.

"Each and every day we respond to emergencies, and thankfully tragedies of this nature are extremely rare.

"Regrettably, on this occasion, the standard of driving fell short of what it is expected, which has led to the most devastating of outcomes."