Moment Met Policeman drives at more than 80mph in his patrol car before hitting 25-year-old woman in fatal crash: Officer is jailed for three years for causing her death
- PC Nadeem Patel collided with Shante Daniel-Folkes at high speed in Brixton
- Footage captures moment patrol car sped down residential road in June 2021
The moment a police officer drove at more than 80mph in a 30mph zone before knocking down and killing a woman has been captured on CCTV.
PC Nadeem Patel was driving at high speeds in his patrol car before the vehicle struck Shante Daniel-Folkes, 25, on Stockwell Road in Brixton, south London, on the evening of June 9, 2021.
Ms Daniel-Folkes had been crossing the road at around 11:20pm near a pedestrian crossing when a second patrol car, driven by PC Patel’s colleague PC Gary Thomson, passed with its emergency lights and siren activated.
Around three to four second later, Ms Daniel-Folkes continued to cross and was struck by PC Patel’s vehicle. He had switched off his front emergency lights earlier so not to affect PC Thomson’s vision in the lead vehicle, but the sirens were activated.
Ms Daniel-Folkes was knocked unconscious immediately. Despite all efforts from officers and paramedics, she died at the scene.
The footage shows the patrol car speeding down the road with its emergency lights flashing. Other vehicles can be seen travelling down the other side of the road.
The footage shows the patrol car speeding down the road with its emergency lights flashing. Other vehicles can be seen travelling down the other side of the road
Ms Daniel-Folkes had been crossing the road at around 11:20pm near a pedestrian crossing when a second patrol car, driven by PC Patel’s colleague PC Gary Thomson, passed with its emergency lights and siren activated
Although exempt from the 30mph limit, PC Patel had reached a peak speed of 83.9mph on Stockwell Road just 115 metres from the car’s final stopping point.
The car was travelling at around 55mph at the time of the collision after PC Patel applied the break from a speed of more than 81mph.
The vehicle being driven by PC Thomson passed Ms Daniel-Folkes at speeds between 70 to 79mph.
In February, Patel, 28, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to three years in prison and disqualified from driving for 54 months.
PC Gary Thomson, 30, who was driving the lead car and was not involved in the collision, was charged with dangerous driving.
He was cleared of dangerous driving following a trial at the Old Bailey and convicted of careless driving, fined £500, given five penalty points and ordered to pay costs of £500.
Sentencing PC Patel, Judge Mark Lucraft KC told him: ‘It is clear from the investigation that has been conducted that you drove at grossly excessive speed, over a not insignificant distance, far in excess of that which was safe given the prevailing road conditions, even making allowance for the fact of responding to an emergency call and not being bound by the speed limit’.
Sentencing PC Thomson, the judge called for a review of the speeds at which officers can travel in residential areas.
PC Nadeem Patel was driving at high speeds in his patrol car before the vehicle struck Shante Daniel-Folkes, 25, (pictured) on Stockwell Road in Brixton, south London, on the evening of June 9, 2021
Ms Daniel-Folkes was knocked unconscious immediately. Despite all efforts from officers and paramedics, she died at the scene
Footage shows Ms Daniel-Folkes walking down the residential road in Brixton
‘I note there is no clear guidance provided by the Metropolitan Police on speeds police cars should not exceed in responding to emergency calls when driving in residential areas or roads subject to a speed limit of 30 mph’, he said.
‘In my judgment further thought should be given to this issue particularly as the speed limits in many residential areas are being further reduced to 20mph.
‘Driving at speeds in excess of motorway speeds along roads with the characteristics of Stockwell Road, whist classified as an A road, poses obvious risks.’
At PC Patel’s sentencing earlier this year, Judge Lucraft referred to the ‘moving’ statements from the family of Ms Daniel-Folkes, who described her as ‘kind, funny, loving and very creative’.
‘She is described as bubbly and carefree – a lover of life and someone who was ambitious’, he said. ‘She loved fashion and design. She was a mentor, an artist, a certified nail technician looking forward to opening her own salon and to a bright future for herself and her young son who she adored.
‘She was much loved by all who knew her.
‘The family are devastated by the loss of Shante. They express a numb and empty feeling at Shante’s loss and speak about the long-lasting impact on the family and that on Shante’s young son in particular – a son she will not see grow up and make his own way in life.’
PC Gary Thomson, 30, was cleared of dangerous driving following a trial at the Old Bailey (pictured) and convicted of careless driving, fined £500, given five penalty points and ordered to pay costs of £500
Rosemary Ainslie, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Shante Daniel-Folkes following this avoidable tragedy.
‘Both officers, although not bound by the 30mph speed limit while responding to a 999 call, were driving at motorway speeds in a built-up urban area, with a number of potential hazards in the vicinity.
‘These included pedestrians, cyclists, and cars travelling in the other direction, as well as an open convenience store directly at the scene and a nearby pub in which 30-40 customers were present for a quiz night.
‘There was an obvious risk of injury to a person from vehicles travelling at that speed in the dark, and both officers fell below the expected standard of a competent and careful driver that evening.
‘Pc Patel admitted causing the death of Ms Daniel-Folkes by driving dangerously and I hope his sentence, along with today’s verdict for Pc Thomson, offers some comfort to her family at this extremely difficult time.’
Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) director Amanda Rowe said: ‘This incident has had a devastating impact on the lives of Shante Daniel-Folkes’ family and friends and our sympathies remain with them and all those affected by this.
‘Pc Patel drove at excessive speeds at night-time throughout busy south London streets and, though he was responding to a report of an emergency incident, it does not excuse his dangerous driving behaviour which tragically resulted in a young woman’s death.
‘The convictions of these officers shows that they have been held accountable.’
The IOPC said its investigation following the incident identified potential learning for the Met around creating a policy on speed caps for officers responding to incidents.
It now plans to make a formal learning recommendation on a speed cap policy, and has recommended the Met review its current practices when officers are driving in convoy or tandem while responding to incidents. The recommendations have been accepted and changes have been made, the IOPC said.
PC Patel was dismissed with immediate effect from the Met in May 2023 after an accelerated misconduct hearing and placed on the College of Policing’s barred list, meaning he cannot serve as an officer again.
The IOPC found PC Thomson had a case to answer for gross misconduct in relation to his driving prior to the collision and will progress misconduct proceedings against him following the verdict at the Old Bailey.
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