Sutton PC Jack Sullivan sacked for crash cover-up

Police Constable Jack Sullivan has been dismissed from the Metropolitan Police after a misconduct panel determined his behaviour was dishonest. The panel found that PC Sullivan reversed a marked police car into a parked Mercedes in Carshalton on March 15 last year, causing damage to both vehicles. He then left the scene without reporting the collision or obtaining the other vehicle owner’s details.

False Accounts and Misleading Colleagues

PC Sullivan later claimed that the police vehicle had been damaged by an unknown third party while parked unattended. He recorded this information on police systems. However, his account began to be disproven when other officers discovered a damaged Mercedes near where the police car had been parked. They also found a broken piece of red reflector at the scene, which was later found to match damage to the police vehicle.

Data from the car's incident data recorder, described as similar to a black box, indicated that the police vehicle had collided with the Mercedes while reversing. A senior forensic collision investigator concluded that the collision occurred precisely where the Mercedes was parked and stated it was "more than likely" the driver would have been aware of the impact. The misconduct panel found that PC Sullivan had repeatedly provided false accounts regarding how the damage occurred and had knowingly misled both colleagues and supervisors. The panel also determined that he had wasted police time that was spent investigating the matter.

The panel concluded that dismissal without notice was the only appropriate sanction. A report stated: "The Panel has no doubt the actions of PC Sullivan, given his lack of honesty and accountability, have the potential seriously to undermine trust and confidence in policing." PC Sullivan was dismissed and subsequently placed on the College of Policing barred list.