Three Met Police officers who were accused of lying about a patrol car crash have walked free from court after being cleared of perverting the course of justice.
PC Max Michel, 28, was driving the marked police car with PC Shaun Charnock, 34, as a passenger on an emergency call when it when collided with a VW Polo driven by 19-year-old Raj Mehra.
It was claimed the officers had colluded with colleague PC Ryan Francis, 27, to blame the teenager for the crash on December 4, 2016, in Uxbridge Road, Feltham, saying he had run a red light.
But the PCs denied conspiring to lie, and they were found not guilty at Southwark crown court on Friday following a trial.
PC Francis, who was the initial crash scene investigator, told the court he had “written down what I have been told”.
PC Michel said he had no reason to lie as the consequences for crashing a patrol car were minimal, adding: “I never made anything up. I told everything as I 100 per cent believed it at the time I made my statement.”
Charnock, of Camberley, Surrey, Francis, of Bracknell, Berkshire, and Michel, of Kingston-upon-Thames, all denied and were cleared of perverting the course of justice.
Scotland Yard said the officers will remain on restricted duties while misconduct proceedings take place.
