In a tragic incident that took place on the A203 Stockwell Road on June 9, 2021, a police officer has been sentenced to jail after his patrol car struck and killed a 25-year-old woman.
The woman, identified as Shante Daniel-Folkes, was crossing the road near a pedestrian crossing when the accident occurred. Her injuries were immediately fatal.
The Incident
PC Nadeem Patel, 28, was the officer driving the marked police car that hit Ms Daniel-Folkes.
Responding to an emergency call, he reached speeds of up to 83.9 mph, despite the road’s 30 mph limit.
He previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Consequently, on February 24, 2023, he was jailed for three years and disqualified from driving for 54 months.
Second Officer Convicted
Additionally, PC Gary Thomson, 31, was convicted of careless driving.
He was driving a marked police car ahead of PC Patel’s vehicle at the time of the incident.
Thomson’s vehicle passed Ms Daniel-Folkes at speeds between 70-79 mph, and the prosecution successfully proved that he also drove at an excessive speed for a significant distance.
Though PC Thomson’s vehicle had its emergency lights and siren activated, PC Patel had earlier switched off his front emergency lights so as not to affect Thomson’s vision.
The CPS proved that this action, and the excessive speed, contributed to the fatal accident.
PC Thomson was fined £500 and awarded five penalty points on his driving license after a jury at the Old Bailey convicted him following a four-day trial.
Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, 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-Foulkes 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.”
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2 officers sentanced for being police.
While a civilian court may say excessive, a result like this will see more escaping the police knowi g if they drive fast enough police will be forced to consider letting a dangerous person escape or risk court n conviction by those not understanding
90 in a 30… somewhat excessive I’d say, even in a response call. Plus.. the woman crossing the road, ‘near’ a pedestrian crossing… several contributing factors all round sadly.
Edit… pushing 90..
The front car had blues and twos going. The second car did not, but was travelling equally quickly. It is reasonable to presume that the engines were running at high revs and thus very audible. It is also reasonable to presume that a car chase with the illuminated car in front is a most unlikely scenario.
One has to wonder at whether the deceased had followed suitable and cautious observations prior to crossing the road. The report makes no mention of either car leaving the road, so presumably the pedestrian walked into their path.
Why are we not educating the public that as a pedestrian, or indeed a cyclist, you are extremely vulnerable and it is incumbent upon you to check and double check whether it is safe to cross.
Instead, the Highway Code is re-written to blame the biggest for the folly and incompetence of the most vulnerable, which is exactly the wrong way of looking at things. In a person vs vehicle argument, the person will always lose. Who cares who was in the right? The person is in a wheelchair for the rest of their days but I, as the offending driver, will get released, will get my licence back and will continue with my life after a very disagreeable hiatus.
Who has the life sentence? Whose life has been totally wrecked and is being forced to live a potentially miserable life, perhaps for decades? PC Patel will be freed in due course and will also get his licence back. He will find a new job. He should be able to sort himself out over time. Ms Daniel-Folkes remains dead.
As usual, the blame is placed upon the officers. We are not told the nature of the emergency. It is worth noting that police NEVER initiate a pursuit. The fleeing driver sets the agenda by not stopping and can re-set the agenda by complying. More to the point, one never hears of fleeing drivers being prosecuted for creating the circumstances of any tragedy, only of officers for doing their jobs.