Officers praised for investigation of hit-and-run incident

On November 8, 2022, a Ford Transit flatbed vehicle travelling northbound on the A327 Minley Road towards Camberley shed a scaffolding pole.

The pole pierced the door of a black Vauxhall Astra travelling in the opposite direction, impaling the leg of the driver, a 33-year-old woman from Hook.

The woman suffered a serious leg injury and had to be taken to hospital by air ambulance. There were also two young children in the car who were luckily uninjured.

The driver of the flat bed vehicle initially stopped at the scene, but upon realising the gravity of the situation, he drove off.

PC Rhiannon Gibson, of the Roads Policing team based in Whitchurch, was tasked with leading the subsequent investigation. She was joined by PC Alexander Tack of the Commercial Vehicle Unit.

PC Rhiannon Gibson of the Roads Policing team based in Whitchurch and PC Alexander Tack of the Commercial Vehicle Unit conducted a foolproof investigation (Image: Hampshire Constabulary) READ MORE: Man jailed after A327 driver from Hook was impaled by pole

Over the following days, the suspect was identified following a police witness appeal and officers attended his address where the occupants refused to name the driver. 

Undeterred, the officers proceeded to seize a scaffolding vehicle that was located on the road outside the property. PC Tack conducted extensive examinations of this vehicle to confirm that the vehicle and its load were not road worthy at the time of the offence.

This proved to be a particularly complex case but PC Gibson and PC Tack worked tirelessly to prove that the suspect, who was disqualified, was driving at the time of the offence and that he knew the scaffolding vehicle was unsafe.  

Furthermore, the officers provided evidence to prove that the scaffolding that injured the victim came from this particular vehicle and the driver intentionally left the scene of the collision.  

The quality of evidence presented at court gave the driver of the scaffolding vehicle, Peter Lee, 36, of Yorktown Road, Bracknell Forest, no option but to change his plea to guilty.

On Friday January 27 this year, he was sentenced to three years in custody at Winchester Crown Court for causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

In recognition of their work throughout this investigation, PC Gibson and PC Tack were commended at the Joint Operations Unit Awards on Wednesday 2 October.

Superintendent Mark Lewis, head of the Roads Policing Unit, said: "I would ask that you congratulate PC Gibson and PC Tack for the professionalism and determination they demonstrated throughout this comprehensive investigation.

"PC Gibson put the victim at the centre of this investigation and she relentlessly pursued the suspect to ensure a case was brought against him. 

"PC Tack's technical expertise in the area of commercial vehicles was equally key to solving this case and by working together as a team, they both ensured that the suspect was brought to justice. 

"Their outstanding investigative skills and diligence resulted in the successful conviction of a disqualified driver who had shown total disregard for the safety of others."