Met Police officer mowed down charity worker on zebra crossing after tearing through streets without lights or sirens
A METROPOLITAN Police officer is facing jail after today admitting that he ploughed into a charity worker while driving a squad car.
PC Daniel Francis, 33, killed Andrew Brown, 23, in November 2019 after crashing into him while chasing another vehicle without lights or sirens.
The officer, from Tongham, Surrey, had been driving at 60mph while hunting down another car after the occupants had thrown a firework.
He was charged with one count of causing death by careless driving after the fatal collision on 1 November 2019.
Francis hit Mr Brown, from Glasgow, with the marked Peugeot 308 squad car at around 12am in Hounslow, West London.
Charity worker Andrew was killed in the collision and a 16-year-old boy was also injured during the incident.
Francis, wearing a grey suit, appeared at Westminster Magistrate’s Court and spoke only to confirm his name and to admit the death by careless driving charge.
He will be sentenced for the offence, which carries the maximum of five years imprisonment, at the Old Bailey.
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Prosecutor Lisa Rose, prosecuting, said the offence falls into the “category of careless driving, not far short of dangerous driving”.
She added: “He was attempting to catch up with a vehicle from which a firework had been thrown.
“The police vehicle did not have its lights and sirens activated and it was dark.”
The court heard that Francis failed to take into account pedestrians crossing the road near a railway station as he drove at 60mph in a 20mph zone.
Ms Rose said his driving was “inappropriate for the prevailing road conditions” when he struck Mr Brown and another person on the Zebra crossing.
Mr Brown later died from his injuries while the other person lost consciousness after he was hit.
Video evidence shows PC Francis was entirely focused on catching up with the other vehicle.
District judge Tan Ikram granted PC Francis unconditional bail ahead of sentence, and imposed an interim driving disqualification.
Andrew, who had been working at AmeriCamp before his death, was described as the “life and soul”.
Lee McAteer, founder at the firm, paid tribute to his friend, saying: “Andrew was the life and soul of the party. His huge smile and caring personality shone like a ray of light.
"Today, the world is darker without him. He might not have been here for long, but his legacy will last forever.
“With the blessing of Andrew’s family, we have decided to create the Andrew Brown Special Needs Scholarship which will allow someone each year to continue the great work Andrew did at Camp JayCee."
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