Speeding traffic policeman jailed for three years over girl's death

A traffic policeman who killed a schoolgirl after reaching speeds of 94mph in a 30mph zone was jailed for three years yesterday.



PC John Dougal was not using the blue lights and siren on his patrol car when he hit Hayley Adamson, 16, as she crossed a road at night last May.



Dougal, 41, claimed his speed was justified as he was following a suspect car.

'Totally avoidable': Pc John Dougal was chasing a suspect car when he ploughed into Hayley Adamson, right, as she crossed a residential street



But he was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court last month and has resigned from Northumbria Police.

At the sentencing hearing yesterday, John Elvidge, defending, said Dougal's life had been 'devastated'.



He said the father of one, who joined the police in 1996, 'will forever be marked by Hayley's death. His vocation to be a police officer is now lost'.



Judge David Hodson said the case was 'an immense tragedy for everyone involved'.



The court was shown footage from Dougal's in-car video camera, including the moment the teenager was hit by the car and flung out of shot.

After the trial Gary Garland, the North East Commissioner for the Independent Police Complaints Commission, said the tragedy 'should have been totally avoidable'.

He added: 'Pc John Dougal is a highly trained police driver, yet he chose to take totally unnecessary and unacceptable risks and travel at high speed on a residential road.

'He had no justification whatsoever to drive at such excessive speed.

'Being a highly trained police driver should never be used as licence to take unnecessary risks on public roads.'

John Elvidge, defending, said Dougal's life had been been 'devastated' in an instant, adding: 'He will forever be marked by Hayley's death. His vocation was to be a police officer and that now is lost.'

Mr Elvidge said the officer, who joined Northumbria Police in 1996, had received a caution for a motoring offence when he was 16 and had also incurred penalty points for speeding and contravening a traffic signal by the time he was 20.

He has since resigned from the force.

Mr Elvidge said Dougal's wife, young son, and infirm father had also been badly affected by the case.