Legal News

A teenager who mowed down a Merseyside police officer in a stolen vehicle has been found guilty of manslaughter by a 10 to 2 majority verdict of the jury.

Clayton Williams killed PC Dave Phillips in Wallasey on 5 October 2015, after he drove into him in a stolen Mitsubishi pick-up truck.

Williams, 19 – of Wheatland Lane in Wallasey – had earlier broken into Oxton Estates estate agency with another man, Philip Stuart, 30, of Mayfair Court in Prenton. The two men stole – among other things – the keys to the 4 x 4 vehicle, which Williams then drove at high speeds for several miles across the Wirral, with Stuart as a front seat passenger.

The court heard that Williams careered through red lights, drove on the wrong side of the road and down the wrong way of a one-way street.

He was being pursued by two police cars as he approached Wallasey Dock Road, where 34-year-old PC Dave Phillips had placed a “stop stick” in the road.

The stop stick would have punctured the tyres and slowed the vehicle down had Willliams driven over it – however, instead, Williams turned the truck and drove off the carriageway in the direction of PC Phillips.

The officer was struck by the front of the vehicle and was pronounced dead a short time later.

Williams then drove away and began contacting others whom the court heard had then helped him to cover up his involvement in the death of PC Phillips.

Williams pleaded guilty to burglary, stealing the truck and driving it dangerously – and admitted that he had been driving the truck when it collided with PC Phillips, causing his death.

The prosecution had argued that Williams was guilty of murder, but the jury rejected that and found him guilty of manslaughter.

Phillip Stuart, 30 – of Mayfair Court in Oxton – has also appeared before the court for sentence. He was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the incident and pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to burglary and aggravated taking of a vehicle.

Stuart received a six-year jail term – three-and-a-half years for aggravated vehicle taking and two-and-a-half years for the burglary. Stuart has also been disqualified from driving for three years.

Three other people were also sentenced in connection with the case – they had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to assist an offender and admitted burning and attempting to dispose of Williams' clothing at a house in Wheatland Lane in Wallasey, in the hours after the incident.

Georgia Clarke, 19, of Knowsley Road in Wallasey was sentenced to 12 months' detention, Michael Smith, 19, of Widmore Road in Gateacre was sentenced to two years' detention – and Dawn Cooper, 34, of Wheatland Lane in Wallasey was given a two-year prison sentence.

During the trial at Manchester Crown Court, Senior Crown Prosecutor with Mersey-Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, Helen Graves, said:

“Williams drove a stolen vehicle at dangerously high speeds through residential areas – and then collided with a police officer who was simply doing his duty.

“His actions on that night have devastated the family of PC Phillips – and robbed the police force of an upstanding and valuable member of the team.

“Williams has been found guilty of an extremely serious offence and he is now facing the prospect of jail.

“This has been a complex and difficult case – and the Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank Merseyside Police for their help in bringing this case to court.

“The family of PC Phillips have behaved with tremendous dignity and courage throughout this trial, despite having to face the details of the last moments of their beloved husband, father, son and brother.

“Our thoughts remain with them at this very difficult time.”

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