Senior traffic officer wrongly cleared over crash, Crown argues

Chief Inspector Tom Forrester, of Grampian Police, was accused of ordering a constable to put the lights and sirens on their unmarked car on the way to the airport, because they were late for a flight. He remains suspended and an internal inquiry has been halted following the Crown Office's appeal.

The incident dates back to November 2008, when Mr Forrester and his colleague, Inspector James Wood, were on their way to Aberdeen Airport for a flight to a conference in Birmingham.

It was alleged that Mr Forrester, 45, asked PC Ashley Forbes, 33, who was driving at the time, to put on the lights and sirens to make sure they got there in time.

However, on the way they were involved in a collision on the B977 Dyce to Belhelvie road. The court heard that a Ford Fiesta had driven into the back of Carol Dawson's Volkswagen Golf when she slowed down to avoid the police car.

The incident came to light after PC Forbes confided in Inspector Ian Kirkwood, of Grampian Police, about the collision.

In an interview with Professional Standards, Insp Kirkwood told officers: "I remember at the time Ashley was thinking, 'No it's my fault' and I remember saying, 'You were put under pressure to put on the blue lights and sirens to get to the airport on time'.

"I first of all reassured him that collisions can be sorted out, I don't mean they can be covered up."

Mr Forrester was charged with dangerous driving and violating the trust and duty of the force for failing to report the accident.

PC Forbes was also charged with dangerous driving but found guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving and failure to stop.

At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, on 16 December, Sheriff Kenneth Stewart told PC Forbes he took "a sympathetic view of the circumstances he found himself in" and gave him an absolute discharge.

During the trial, he ruled some evidence against Mr Forrester inadmissable because he had been interviewed without a lawyer. A Supreme Court judgement in the Peter Cadder case triggered a change in Scots law that all suspects must be given access to legal advice ahead of police interview.The grounds of the appeal will not be made public until the hearing next month.

However, if three judges in the Court of Criminal Appeal, in Edinburgh, uphold the Crown Office's appeal, the case could be sent back to Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

A Crown Office spokeswoman: "We can confirm that the Crown has appealed against the acquittal of Thomas Forrester and that an appeal hearing is due to take place on 24 May, 2011, at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh."

Mr Forrester was suspended after being charged in connection with the incident and has not returned to work since.

He became head of road policing in Grampian in 2005, after serving as chief inspector in south Aberdeenshire, and introduced a number of road safety initiatives.

He was due to take a two-year secondment to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary of Scotland, but did not take up the post after the incident emerged.

A Grampian Police spokesman said: "Tom Forrester remains suspended from Grampian Police. This is a matter for the Crown Office."