London, (Samajweekly) A 28-year-old Indian-origin police officer has been sentenced to three years in prison and disqualified from driving for over four years for dangerous driving, leading to the death of a woman in south London in 2021.
Police constable Nadeem Patel, who was driving at a speed of 83.9 mph while responding to an emergency 999 call, admitted to causing the death of Shante Daniel-Folkes, 25, in Brixton on the night of June 9, 2021.
He was dismissed without notice after a misconduct hearing on May 4.
Despite all efforts by officials and paramedics, Daniel-Folkes died at the scene.
The Old Bailey court in London heard on Monday that a collision occurred as two separate police cars responded to an emergency call.
Daniel-Folkes was struck by the second car, which was driven by Patel.
Police constable Gary Thomson, who was driving the first police car, was found guilty of careless driving by the court following a four-day trial.
He was fined 500 pounds and received five penalty points on his licence.
Charged with dangerous driving, Thomson had pleaded not guilty and was acquitted after a trial at the Old Bailey in July.
“My thoughts and condolences are with the family of Shante Daniel-Folkes. The circumstances are tragic and have brought upset to our communities in Lambeth,” Commander Seb Adjei-Addoh, in charge of policing in Lambeth, said.
“Our Police Community Engagement team will be working hard to listen and respond to local concerns stemming from this incident and trial verdict over the coming days.”
Patel and Thomson, who were attached to the Central South Command Unit of Metropolitan Police, were charged following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.
