Tim Bradshaw, a former police officer, has been found not guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was involved in a crash with an e-bike that injured two individuals, but Mr Bradshaw argued that he was acting to protect life. The jury took one hour to reach a verdict and cleared him of an alternative charge of causing serious injury by driving without due care and attention.
According to the prosecution, Mr Bradshaw was driving a marked police car at the time and made contact with the e-bike being ridden by Mason McGarry and Dominic Mizzi in Bognor Regis in November 2022. The court heard that Mr McGarry, now 19, sustained a fractured left tibia in the crash, which required surgery. The response officer touched the back wheel of the e-bike, causing the rider and his passenger to lose control and fall to the ground.
Mr Bradshaw, a married father-of-one, described in court how police were involved in regular pursuits with electric motorbikes, but were normally unable to stop the riders because of the speed of the vehicles and their ability to go down alleyways and closed roads. He also said that the use of a “tactical contact” manoeuvre had been authorised previously by his superiors, and he was permitted to use “reasonable force”.
Despite the crash leading to injuries, Mr Bradshaw argued that it was Mr Mizzi’s fault that he was involved in the incident. He mentioned that Mr Mizzi had numerous convictions, including for assaulting emergency workers. Mr Bradshaw relied on his authority to take action and said that the contact with the bike was “light enough” and that there was not a blemish on his police car.
The court also heard that Mr Mizzi had been injured in a previous e-bike accident, and another young man had been killed in a crash nearby in the previous month. Additional reporting by PA Media confirmed that Mr Bradshaw, who retired in June last year, claimed he was acting in the best interests of the public
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