West Bromwich fugitive cleared of deliberately mowing down detective
A fugitive conman has been cleared of intentionally mowing down a woman detective during a desperate escape bid from a police roadblock.
Rashpal Singh was also cleared of dangerous driving and other charges in the incident near Heathrow airport in November 2007. Old Bailey Judge Jeremy Roberts said the collision had been "an accident".
Singh, 43, was returned to prison to serve the rest of the sentence from which he had originally escaped.
Detective Constable Catherine Corbett, 40, was left with serious head injuries and still has memory loss after being scooped up by the passenger door of Singh's car.
Singh, 43, had been on the run for 11 months and was cornered by unmarked police cars as he drove his wife to work at a hotel near the airport.
As plain clothes officers approached the car to speak to him, Singh reversed, catching Det Con Corbett with the open passenger door, and injuring two other officers as he smashed into the cars.
He was arrested later after being spotted driving in Birmingham.
Singh told the court he panicked and had not realised the people around his car were police officers.
Part of the case was heard without press and public present.
Singh, of Gladstone Street, West Bromwich, was found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of actual bodily harm to Det Con Matthew Millward and Det Con Stefan Wojcieszyn, and dangerous driving.
Singh looked shocked after the verdicts.
Judge Roberts read a note from the jury which expressed sympathy to Dc Corbett and her family. It said: "We all agree that police officers have a difficult and dangerous job to do. Reaching a verdict has been tricky on the evidence provided."
The judge said: "No one should think the jury's verdict is any reflection on the professional conduct of the West Midlands' officers.
"With the best will in the world, the police didn't manage to convey to Mr Singh in time the fact that they were police officers. As the evidence unfolded, it has become clear that it was a tragic accident."
He said Singh had been cleared and no one else was to blame.
The judge said he was considering writing to the chief constable of West Midlands Police "setting out what I think about this case".
He also sent sympathy to Dc Corbett, telling the jury: "It was a very serious injury. It has very seriously damaged her life."
