Cop sacked after prisoner fell out of police van
DISCIPLINARY PANEL FINDS OFFICER DROVE OFF LEAVING MAN
CCTV shows the moment a cop ‘fed up’ with a student’s repeated complaints drove off with his van door open – leaving the arrested man, who grabbed hold of the vehicle, with severe facial injuries.
Pc Daniel Gaffney put the accelerator down knowing the passenger door of his van was still open, a disciplinary hearing has concluded.
The ‘potentially vulnerable’ suspect he had arrested earlier after he had been thrown out of a nightclub – Kaide Saeger – was standing between the open door and the van, and was speaking to Pc Gaffney’s colleague in the passenger seat as the van suddenly moved off.
CCTV footage obtained by the M.E.N. – shown during the hearing – shows Mr Saeger running alongside the van for seven seconds after inexplicably grabbing hold of the moving vehicle, falling onto his face after it had topped 20mph.
Instead of stopping and checking on the man, Pc Gaffney continued to drive away from the scene and only returned later to carry out a ‘very cursory’ check before continuing with his night shift, the disciplinary panel ruled.
Now the officer has been sacked after the three-day disciplinary hearing concluded he was guilty of gross misconduct, including a finding that he had tried to cover up from his bosses that the passenger door had been open.
The drama unfolded on an access road outside the A&E department of Manchester Royal Infirmary shortly after 3.30am on April 27, 2018.
The officer was accused of driving off – not because he wanted to hurt Mr Saeger, but because he was ‘fed up’ as the student was ‘grumbling and moaning and causing a nuisance’ following his arrest earlier that evening.
He admitted it was ‘reckless and dangerous,’ but insisted he was unaware the door was open as his view was obscured by a fellow officer in the front passenger seat who had been talking to ‘intoxicated’ Mr Saeger.
This account has been dismissed by the disciplinary panel.
Mr Saeger had been arrested on suspicion of breaching the peace after he called 999 earlier that night. He had been thrown out of a nightclub in Fallowfield and had threatened to ‘smash the place up,’ the tribunal was told.
It was alleged at the hearing that Mr Seager, who was said to have repeatedly told officers he was the secretary of UKIP’s Manchester branch, had threatened during the call to burn down the nightclub and ‘do it with a lighter.’
He had complained ‘Islamic bouncers’ had kicked him out of the venue because he is white, the panel was told.
He declined to appear at the hearing.
Pc Gaffney decided to de-arrest Mr Saeger after hearing he had suffered a family bereavement. But the student alleged he had suffered a head injury when he was ‘thrown into the back of the van’ and he asked to be taken to hospital, the tribunal was told.
The officer drove him to the MRI with a rookie officer, Pc Mohmmed Farooq, also with him in the van, because of concern for his welfare.
Pc Gaffney said he was shocked to see Mr Saeger on the ground in his wing mirror as he drove away to deal with other calls. He admitted he ‘panicked’ and continued for a short distance to find a spot where he could turn the van around.
He said he saw the man from the rear walking toward A&E and he did not appear injured.
The student is said to have suffered ‘lifechanging’ facial injuries.
Yesterday, chairman of the panel Paul Forster said: “The panel concludes Pc Gaffney decided to drive off knowing that the passenger door was open. He would not have anticipated the complainant would grab hold of the door and run alongside the vehicle.”
He recalled the evidence of Pc Farooq who had said the move to grab the vehicle ‘made no sense.’
Mr Forster said: “The panel finds that Pc Gaffney had the opportunity to stop the police van and should have done so as soon as he became aware the door was open and the complainant was holding onto the vehicle and when he saw him on the ground.”
Mr Forster said: “The panel finds Pc Gaffney deliberately misled supervising officers and gave a dishonest account of what happened outside the hospital.” He ruled the officer was guilty of ‘gross misconduct.’
His barrister, Mark Littler QC, argued the married officer, a father, had served almost 21 years and should not be sacked.
But the panel decided the case was so serious the officer had to be sacked. The chairman, Mr Forster, said: “He failed to provide an accurate, honest report of the incident which prejudiced the investigation. Honesty and integrity are fundamental requirements of any police officer the lack of which causes great harm to public confidence in the police service.”
Mr Gaffney declined to comment.
Honesty and integrity are fundamental requirements of any police officer Panel chairman Paul Forster