A Sussex Police officer who knocked down a man on a pedestrian crossing while driving on the wrong side of the road has pleaded guilty to careless driving.
PC Russell Kyle admitted charge at Hove Crown Court yesterday (Monday 21 January) where he was given a conditional discharge. by Judge Andrew Goymer.
PC Kyle now faces a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct after running down tourist Gary Paterson.
He was originally prosecuted for dangerous driving but the charge was substituted for the lesser offence of careless driving.
The prosecution came after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which began in September 2017.
The IOPC said: “On (Tuesday) 19 September 2017, shortly after 6pm, the man, in his fiftites, was struck by a police car in King’s Road, Brighton and suffered broken ribs and cuts to the face.
“PC Kyle had been attending an emergency incident and his car’s blue lights and sirens had been activated.
“The incident was referred to us on (Wednesday) 20 September 2017 and an investigation was launched. We completed our investigation in March 2018 and referred a file to the Crown Prosecution Service who authorised the charge.
“We have also passed our final report, which concludes PC Kyle may have committed gross misconduct, to Sussex Police who have agreed and a misconduct hearing will be scheduled in due course.”
So it has taken 16 months since the incident for this to come to court – surely justice delayed is justice denied