Rookie Cop’s Actions in Tragic 999 Call Under Scrutiny at Hearing
A rookie officer’s response to a violent incident raises questions at a disciplinary hearing following a tragic crash.
Stockport, UK, PC Boris McDohl, Khia Whitehead, Police, Disciplinary Hearing
Stockport: So, there’s this rookie cop, right? PC Boris McDohl, just a year into the job, was responding to a 999 call about a guy with a knife. He decided to speed and run red lights to get there, which ended up in a crash that seriously injured a teenager named Khia Whitehead.
Now, McDohl’s lawyer says he was just doing what anyone would expect from a police officer. He was trying to help out a colleague who was alone facing a potentially dangerous situation. But, yeah, he broke the rules by speeding and ignoring traffic signals.
On that rainy Boxing Day in 2020, he was driving behind another officer, PC Sarah De Meulemeester, who ended up hitting Khia. The poor kid was only 15 and now he’s in a permanent vegetative state. It’s just heartbreaking.
McDohl admitted he shouldn’t have driven like that, especially since he had only basic driving training. But he felt he had to keep up with De Meulemeester to provide backup. It’s a tough call, but the hearing is looking at whether he acted recklessly.
De Meulemeester was found guilty of dangerous driving and got a 30-month prison sentence. It’s a mess all around, and now McDohl is facing serious consequences too. The hearing is still ongoing, and the panel will decide if he’ll be fired for gross misconduct.
It’s a tragic situation, and everyone’s feeling the weight of it. The hearing is trying to figure out if McDohl’s actions were justified or if he just went too far. It’s a tough spot for a rookie cop, but the stakes are high.