A police officer accused of dangerous driving after killing a driver during a high-speed pursuit of a suspect broke down in tears as he was cleared of wrongdoing.
Matthew Pike, 40, was accused of causing the death of Keryl Johnson by dangerous driving, as well as causing death by careless driving, in 2021.
However, after legal submissions from Ray Tully KC, representing the officer, Judge Edward Burgess KC ruled the prosecution had not proven its case and ordered the jury to find the defendant not guilty of all charges.
Bristol Crown Court heard that shortly before midnight on 4 November 2021, Pc Pike was following a white Volkswagen Tiguan driven by Lewis Griffin through the city centre.
Pc Pike reached speeds of up to 93mph in his unmarked BMW police car as he followed Griffin, the jury was told.
But the chase ended when Griffin’s car collided with a Honda Jazz being driven by Ms Johnson, 35 and a GP, at Newfoundland Circus.
She was left badly injured and died several days later in hospital.
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Handing down his ruling at court on Wednesday, the judge said that the prosecution did provide evidence “sufficient to allow any jury to find that the defendant Matthew Pike drove dangerously or drove carelessly”.
“This is because (the) prosecution expert witness told you that in his opinion, as an expert in police pursuits, training and driving, Matthew Pike did not drive dangerously and did not drive carelessly at any stage during the pursuit of the VW Tiguan,” he added.
“On the contrary, put simply, he said Matthew Pike did his job as he was trained to do it. As a result, it is my decision that on both counts, Matthew Pike must now be found not guilty.”
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During the trial, the jury was told Pc Pike was trained to the most advanced level of police driving, had received all relevant refresher training, and was authorised for pursuit driving.
The judge added: “This is a dreadfully difficult, incredibly sad and utterly tragic case.
“So far as the proceedings against Matthew Pike are concerned at the crown court, they are now at an end.”
In February 2024, Griffin, 23, was jailed for eight years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for 10 years.
