A police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct following the deaths of a young aspiring actor and his aunt, who were killed by a joyrider during a high-speed chase.
PC Edward Welch, 35, was pursuing Joshua Dobby, who was driving a stolen Ford Focus at 60mph down a 20mph street in Penge, southeast London, on August 31, 2016. During the chase, Dobby lost control of the vehicle, mounted the pavement, and fatally struck Rozanne Cooper, 34, and her 10-year-old nephew, Makayah McDermott.
Makayah, an aspiring child actor, had recently appeared in an Asda advert and was set to star in a major new television series. He also performed in a production of The Wizard of Oz with his sisters. Another child involved in the crash sustained serious injuries.
Despite being cleared of causing death by dangerous driving and related charges in December 2022, PC Welch was found guilty of gross misconduct by a disciplinary panel. The panel determined that Welch, from Chatham, Kent, failed to accurately assess and communicate the risks of the pursuit, which ultimately led to the tragic incident.
The panel’s investigation, led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), revealed that both PC Welch and former officer Jack Keher, who was also present during the chase, did not properly assess the proportionality of continuing the pursuit or relay critical information about the high-speed chase to the control room.
PC Welch insisted that he was acting to protect the public by using his lights and sirens to alert pedestrians and other road users. However, the disciplinary panel concluded that his actions were not proportionate or justified, given the high risk to public safety in a busy area during the school holidays.
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer commented, “Our thoughts remain with the families of Makayah and Rozanne who sadly lost their lives and to everyone affected by this incident. Officers must assess the risks before engaging in a pursuit and continually reassess this throughout. Any pursuit must be proportionate and factor in the surrounding circumstances, including the public safety risk.
Palmer added, “The officers’ actions in pursuing a stolen car at up to three times the speed limit in an area busy with traffic and pedestrians during the school holidays was not proportionate or justified given the apparent safety risk to the public. The officers also failed in their duty of care to protect lives following the collision by chasing the offender rather than immediately going to the aid of the victims.
PC Welch received a final written warning for his actions. The case against former PC Keher was also proven, but as he is no longer serving, no further sanctions were imposed.
Dobby, the estranged son of millionaire pet food wholesaler Mark Dobby, was previously convicted of two counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and jailed for 12 years in March 2017. He had never held a driving license and had 53 prior convictions.
The tragic deaths of Makayah and Rozanne have left a lasting impact on their community, highlighting the critical importance of police officers adhering to protocols designed to safeguard public safety during high-risk pursuits.
