Dennis Skelley death: police crash speed 'appropriate'

An inquiry into a crash in which an 82-year-old pedestrian died has said the police car involved was doing an "appropriate" speed.

Dennis Skelley died after being hit by a marked police car responding to a burglary in Coventry in 2010.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPPC) found the car was travelling at 40mph.

They ruled this was "reasonable", even though it was 10mph faster than the speed limit.

The IPCC collected evidence from eyewitnesses and looked at CCTV images from Walsgrave Road, where the accident happened.

Experts also examined the police car and conducted a reconstruction of the collision to establish the speed of the police car.

No criminal charges

Both officers in the vehicle stated that they had seen Mr Skelley only moments before the collision and the driver said he tried to brake and steer away from him.

The investigation found that visibility on road was "variable" due to the street lighting and parked cars.

They ruled that the speed of the police vehicle did not exceed what was reasonable, was within the limit permitted by West Midlands Police policy and training, and was appropriate for the road conditions.

The investigation referred a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, which did not pursue any criminal charges against the officer who was driving.

The Coroner for Mr Skelley's inquest, which had been presented with evidence gathered by the IPCC, recorded a narrative verdict last week.