Greater Manchester PC sacked for causing man's life-changing injuries
- Published
PC Daniel Gaffney was dismissed without notice after the incident at Manchester Royal Infirmary
A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer whose "reckless" driving "resulted in a man's life-changing injuries" has been sacked.
The man was dragged along by a police van, driven by PC Daniel Gaffney, outside a hospital in April 2018 and he fell face first into the road.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said PC Gaffney's behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.
His account of the incident amounted to operational dishonesty, it added.
The police watchdog said a man had been arrested by police officers in Fallowfield but was then de-arrested and dropped off by officers at Manchester Royal Infirmary's Accident and Emergency department.
He suffered life-changing facial injuries when the police van was leaving the hospital, the IOPC said.
CCTV showed the man standing at the open front passenger door of the police vehicle before running along with it briefly and then falling face first into the road, it said.
The officer was dismissed after the IOPC panel found his driving on 27 April 2018 resulted in the man's life-changing injuries.
It also concluded he had not sufficiently checked on the wellbeing of the injured man and made false representations when reporting the incident, on more than one occasion.
The panel found gross misconduct was proven in that he had breached standards of professional behaviour.
The case was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service which decided not to bring any charges
IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe said: "PC Gaffney's behaviour fell well below the standards expected during this incident.
"Having considered all of the evidence we gathered during our investigation, the panel decided [he] had behaved recklessly and his actions had resulted in life-changing injuries."
The IOPC said it referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service which decided not to bring any charges.
Greater Manchester Police has been contacted by the BBC for comment.
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