Norfolk police hit and run officer has driving licence taken

PC Karl Warren failed to stop and report a collision after he drove his BMW patrol car into the back of an Audi A1 at 49mph on the A146.

Criminal charges against him were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) because the officer claimed he was suffering from amnesia at the time.

The scandal has sparked public outcry which saw several people write to the county's police and crime commissioner (PCC) with their concerns.

This in turn saw PCC Giles Orpen-Smellie quiz Norfolk's top police officer - chief constable Paul Sanford - over his force's handling of the incident.

And during 40 minutes of questioning yesterday, Mr Sanford revealed that Mr Warren had since seen his driving licence revoked by the DVLA on medical grounds.

He said that following the collision, Mr Warren had been examined by two separate neurologists who both believed him to have a condition called transient global amnesia.

The first he had seen at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, followed by a second at St George's University Hospital in London. 

Norfolk chief constable Paul Sanford. Picture: Jason Bye (Image: Jason Bye)

Mr Sanford said: "Since the CPS discontinued the case he has been to a third neurologist at the N&N.

"Following tests they confirmed he has a neurological problem for which he is taking medication.

"He kept the DVLA informed throughout the investigation and it has now revoked his driving licence."

Mr Warren's licence was not revoked until February 4 this year, almost a year after the collision at Barnby, near Lowestoft, on March 5 last year.

Mr Sanford also confirmed that since the incident, Mr Warren has been removed from all public-facing policing.

PC Ryan Hargrave, who was a passenger in the vehicle and did not report the crash until the following morning, remains on normal police duties but has lost his firearms licence and is awaiting a misconduct hearing.

Giles Orpen-Smellie, Norfolk police and crime commissioner (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Sanford said: "The police vehicle had no damage at all and the level of damage to the Audi was minimal, it was a coming together where there was little speed difference.

"The main loss was the victim being left by the roadside and not supported as she should have been."

He added that the lack of damage did not take anything away from the severity of the incident.

Meanwhile, the chief constable went on to defend the way the force had investigated the incident once it had been reported.

Asked about how transparent the force had been during investigations, he said: "We provided the victim with an incredibly detailed report, in full, and have answered more than 20 questions about the incident in recent weeks.

"I do not believe there were any missed opportunities to gather evidence.

"We can see from the extent of the reporting that it is important we are transparent and the only area I have been reluctant to discuss is personal medical information."

The victim of the crash, a 34-year-old woman, has since referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) - following calls for the force to refer itself.

But Mr Sanford added that the incident did not meet the criteria for a self-referral - and that now the woman had made a report herself it could not do so retrospectively.

Meanwhile, the chief also reacted to comparisons between Mr Warren's case and a high-profile Australian one in which 72-year-old Ken Grant had claimed to be suffering from amnesia but was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

He said: "There are stark differences between the two cases. 

"In one case there was one person saying something had happened [the amnesia] and in another you have three people - including two medical professionals - saying what had happened."