A police officer responding to a medical emergency when a young child was choking has been found guilty of killing a pensioner.
PC Mark Roberts, of Darlington, drove through a series of red lights as he headed to the urgent call before smashing into a motorbike near the Metrocentre.
The 57-year-old was in a marked Northumbria Police vehicle which collided with a motorcycle on Dunston Road, Gateshead, shortly after 3pm on Friday, July 8, 2022.
Muriel Pinkney, 74, a passenger on the motorbike, died in hospital nine day later from injuries sustained in the collision.
Her husband Ronald, 77 at the time, the motorcycle rider, suffered fractures to his leg, hip, and pelvis.
The jury took less than an hour to find Roberts guilty of causing death by dangerous driving of Mrs Pinkney and causing serious injury by dangerous driving of her husband.
He had already pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving.
Judge Francis Laird KC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, adjourned the case until Tuesday, April 7, to allow time for a pre-sentence report to be compiled.
“The jury have convicted you of the more serious offences,” he said.
“I will need to consider what is the appropriate sentence for the two offences for which you have been found guilty.
“I will benefit greatly from a pre-sentence report.”
Roberts was released on bail until his sentencing hearing.
During the trial, John Harrison KC, prosecuting, told jurors that the officer failed to slow down sufficiently as he approached the traffic lights moments before the fatal collision and showed disregard for other road users.
In his closing speech, he said: “The prosecution says how he drove was dangerous – it was far below the standard expected of a competent driver.
“It was that driving that caused death and serious injury to two people.”
Roberts, of Darlington, remains suspended from duty at Northumbria Police.
Luke Ponte, representing the officer, said his client had already accepted responsibility for the fatal collision but denied that his driving was dangerous at the time.
In his closing speech, he said: “The blink of an eye – you are assessing a failure of standards, I say on Mr Roberts’ behalf, was momentary.”
Sergeant Ian Keenleyside, a forensic collision investigator for Northumbria Police, said the crash could have been prevented if the officer started braking two seconds or 15 metres sooner.
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The jury heard how the officer was driving at about 25mph at the time of the collision with the elderly couple’s motorbike.
Speaking after the trial, Independent Office for Police Conduct director Emily Barry said: “This incident will have had a devastating impact on the lives of Ronald and his wife Muriel’s family and friends and our sympathies remain with them and all those affected by this.
“PC Roberts was a trained police driver. While driving guidance permits officers to pass through red lights and travel above the speed limit where necessary in the circumstances, it is never justified if the officer’s manner of driving endangers other road users.
“I sympathise too on the impact this also had on PC Roberts and while I appreciate it would never have been his intention to cause death or serious injury, sadly his driving that day had fatal consequences which left a family heartbroken and he has been held accountable today.”
And Gavin Hotchkiss, specialist Prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime division said: "This was a tragic and avoidable incident. While PC Roberts was responding to an emergency, he had a duty to drive with due care and attention to the safety of others.
"The evidence showed he failed to treat the red light as a stop or give way, as required by police training."
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