A serving Greater Manchester Police officer has appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after a teenaged boy was left with life-changing injuries.
Police Constable Sarah De Meulemeester, 25, based at Cheadle Heath police station, was charged with dangerous driving following a crash in the Adswood district of Stockport on 26th December, 2020.
PC De Meulemeester, the driver of a liveried Peugeot 308, denies causing serious injury by driving dangerously, as she appeared in the dock at a plea hearing in Liverpool Crown Court.
Relatives of Khia Whitehead, who is now aged 17 but was 15 at the time of the incident, were in the public gallery for the short hearing. The teenager suffered serious injuries, including a hypoxic brain injury, after the Boxing Day crash and, having spent months in hospital, doctors told his family that he would not be able to walk again.
The officer, of Mill Court, Chinley, who is still acting as a police constable, but on restricted duties, was further remanded on court bail by the Recorder of Liverpool, Andrew Menary KC. The trial of PC De Meulemeester, expected to extend to five days, is listed to open on 17th April, 2023.
GMP has previously reported that Sarah De Meulemeester moved to the UK from The Netherlands to pursue her dreams and study for a degree in Criminal Investigation and Policing. She had been working for GMP as a call handler before joining the ranks of warranted police officers in August, 2019 and appearing as a recruitment ‘poster girl’ alongside the then chief constable, Ian Hopkins.
A second officer, who has not been named, whose conduct was also under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct does not face criminal charge but has a case to answer for gross misconduct, the police watchdog says. GMP will re-commence disciplinary proceedings at the conclusion of the Liverpool Crown Court trial next year.
The IOPC has previously stated that its enquiries had revealed that three GMP police vehicles responded to an emergency call on 26th December, 2020. The second of the three vehicles collided with Khia Whitehead, whilst a third vehicle struck a post after swerving to avoid the crash.
Page last updated Thursday 6th October, 2022 at 0710hrs
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