A South Wales Police officer should face a gross misconduct hearing after two teenagers died in an e-bike crash, a watchdog has said.
Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, died following the crash on Snowden Road, in the Ely area of Cardiff, on 22 May 2023.
Disorder broke out after CCTV captured a South Wales Police van appearing to follow the teenagers minutes before the collision, prompting an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
In a statement on Thursday, the IOPC said the police van was “approximately half a mile away from the e-bike, on a different road, when the fatal collision occurred”, and added: “Our investigation found no indication of contact between the police vehicle and the boys’ e-bike immediately before the collision.”
However, the watchdog said its probe “concluded the PC who was driving the van has a gross misconduct case to answer over the accuracy of accounts he provided to colleagues after the collision incident”.
“We believe a police disciplinary panel could find there may be inconsistencies and evidential conflicts in the information given by the officer which potentially breach police standards of honesty and integrity,” it added.
“IOPC investigators also concluded the officer has a case to answer, at the level of misconduct, in relation to his driving and language he used in relation to the boys at the collision scene.”
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The watchdog said it believes a panel could find that the PC’s driving “was outside his level of training and authority,” as well as against authorised professional practice and South Wales Police’s policy on pursuits.
Director David Ford also added that the IOPC is aware “the boys’ deaths have had a deep impact on the local community”.
He added: “After a thorough review of that evidence and applying the relevant legal test – that a police disciplinary panel could find the case proven – we have determined an officer should face disciplinary proceedings.
“It will be for a police disciplinary panel to determine whether the allegations are proven.”
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An additional investigation into family complaints against South Wales Police, which covered a number of areas including the families’ treatment at the scene of the incident, is close to concluding.
