Road safety policeman 'caused crash'

Published on Thursday 19 August 2010 14:57

A SENIOR road safety officer told a fellow policeman to drive dangerously, causing a road accident, a court heard yesterday.

Chief Inspector Tom Forrester, 44, was head of roads policing with Grampian Police when he was involved in the alleged incident.

He is accused of instructing Constable Ashley Forbes, 33, to cross into oncoming traffic and activate the siren and warning lights in their unmarked police car.

It is claimed two cars travelling in the opposite direction collided trying to avoid them.

The drivers of the two cars appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court as witnesses on the first day of the trial of the two officers.

Carol Dawson, 27, told how she was driving her grey VW Golf to work on 26 November, 2008, when she met the officers' blue BMW on a main road in Aberdeen.

The accountant said: "I had to pull over or I would have collided with the car, I had to slow down. I was a bit shocked - it wasn't what I expected first thing in the morning.

"I slowed down as much as I could without braking too hard and tried to pull into the side of the road."

The red Ford Fiesta following Mrs Dawson could not stop in time and ploughed into the back of her car.

The Fiesta was written off by the force of the smash and Mrs Dawson was left with severe whiplash.

The crash happened at around 7:45am on the B977 Belhelvie to Dyce road near Parkhill crossroads.

Forrester, 44, is alleged to have told Forbes to drive their blue BMW dangerously.

He instructed him to put on its blue flashing lights and cross a white line to drive round a bend on the wrong side of the road.

This is said to have caused Mrs Dawson to stop, and Ian Milne, driving behind her to crash.

Forbes is accused of driving dangerously and failing to stop after the accident to give his name, address and details.

The charge alleges that Forrester committed a wilful neglect of duty by failing to prevent Forbes from driving in a dangerous manner and failing to submit a report to the procurator-fiscal.

Mrs Dawson said the BMW was fully over on the "wrong side" of the road as it came towards her.

She couldn't pull into the right-hand lane to avoid it because of gridlocked cars queuing for Aberdeen Airport.

So, after overshooting a junction to her left, she pulled on to a grass verge.

Mr Milne, 23, a joiner also on his way to work, could not stop and smashed into her as the BMW passed.

Steven Borthwick, representing Forbes, argued that the two policemen crossed the carriageway on a straight stretch.

He said their car was travelling at just 10mph in good road conditions and the drivers had plenty of time to see it coming.

The trial, before sheriff Kenneth Stewart but with no jury, continues.