Police Officer Charged in Connection with Fatal 2022 Collision

An officer from the police force is scheduled to appear in court to face charges related to the death of a woman who died in a 2022 motorbike collision. Muriel Pinkney, aged 74, passed away subsequent to a collision involving a marked police vehicle and the motorbike on which she was a passenger. This incident occurred on Dunston Road, in the vicinity of the Metrocentre shopping centre in Gateshead. The male operator of the motorbike also sustained multiple fractures to his leg, hip, and pelvis, necessitating his transport to a hospital. Police Constable Mark Roberts, 56, who is a member of Northumbria Police, has been formally charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Furthermore, he is facing additional accusations of causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving. Ms Pinkney was transported to a medical facility after the collision, which occurred shortly after 15:00 BST on 8 July 2022. Her death in hospital followed nine days later. The incident prompted an investigation by the Independent Office For Police Conduct (IOPC), which concluded in December 2023. The IOPC subsequently referred its collected evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which then authorized the aforementioned charges last month. PC Roberts is scheduled to make his court appearance at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 20 December.