A police traffic officer has spoken of his relief after his driving in a fatal pursuit was finally vindicated following an 18-month probe costing an estimated £250,000.

PC Simon Folwell said he felt ‘humiliated’ by being withdrawn from frontline duties and made the focus of an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) after the road death of Luke Campbell.

After PC Folwell was cleared of any wrongdoing in the fatal Mercedes crash, GMP chiefs blasted 'the scandalous incompetence of the IPCC'.

The IPCC maintained that the evidence in the case had to be tested with a full misconduct hearing.

Mr Campbell, 24, a dad from Oldham, sped away from PC Folwell, who was in a liveried patrol car, from Manchester city centre at speeds of up to 100mph but died after crashing his Mercedes S320 into a Mini at the junction of Warwick Road and Sir Matt Busby Way in Old Trafford at 3am on February 21, 2016.

(Image: Vince Cole)

Greater Manchester Police always believed their officer’s driving during the 90 second pursuit had been ‘textbook’, but the IPCC compelled the force to hold a gross misconduct hearing.

It is understood the investigation showed the pursuing police car had reached 105mph and run through a red light, but experts had ruled the officer’s driving had been appropriate for the conditions at that time of night.

An independent panel has now ruled there was ‘no case to answer’ following the fatality, bringing an end to PC Folwell’s 18-month nightmare.

As he was restored to normal duties, PC Folwell said: “People assume you have done something wrong. It’s like you are guilty until proven innocent."

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"It’s a job I love doing but I have had to take time off with stress through it all. It just all got too much. To be frank it was humiliating for me and my family.”

He added: “For 18 months I have been waiting for a hearing to clear my name. My life has been put on hold. You begin to doubt yourself.”

The cost of the entire investigation, including work from GMP, the IPCC and the Crown Prosecution Service is estimated at £250,000.

(Image: Vince Cole)

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling said: “Police officers are often met with difficult situations, and police pursuits are among the most challenging operational situations they face.

“Officers often have to make informed, swift, decisions on whether or not to engage with cars that are being driven dangerously or illegally in the safest way possible.

“I would like to offer my condolences to Mr Campbell’s family and friends.”

Ian Hanson, chairman of the Greater Manchester branch of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: “It is absolutely beyond belief that this officer was put through this process for simply doing his job. PC Folwell acted quite properly and the panel recognised that in finding that there was no case for him to even answer.

“I really believe that the time has come for the public to be made aware of the scandalous incompetence of the IPCC and the fact that enormous sums of public money are being wasted on investigations that have no merit.

“The IPCC urgently need to have a long hard look at themselves because whoever is responsible for this most recent example of wasting tens of thousands of pounds of public money needs now holding to account themselves.”

Mr Campbell, from Sholver in Oldham, had a son who reached his first birthday a day after the crash.

At the time of the accident, family friend Wayne Reading described groundsworker Luke - known to his friends as ‘Guke’ - as a ‘bubbly, cheeky chappie’.

He said: “He was a bubbly and loyal person. He would give you his last tenner if you asked for it.”

An IPCC spokesperson said: "This was a tragic case where a young man died following a police pursuit and two members of the public suffered serious injuries.

"In the circumstances it was important for the evidence to be fully tested at a hearing. This has now happened, and a panel heard the case presented by the appropriate authority against a GMP officer for gross misconduct and did not find the matter proved."