Met PC Daniel Francis who killed man during pursuit sacked

A Met Police officer who knocked down and killed a pedestrian during a police chase in west London has been banned from policing.

Daniel Francis, 33, crashed into Andrew Brown, 23, as he crossed Whitton Road, Hounslow, on 1 November 2019.

Francis was given a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving.

An investigation found gross misconduct allegations were proven against him and he was dismissed without notice.

Francis was also placed on the police "barred" list following the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) hearing on Wednesday.

The Old Bailey was told the officer had been working late with two colleagues in a marked incident response vehicle when they noticed a firework being thrown from a Nissan car, which sped away as they chased it.

The Nissan was travelling at more than 40mph (64km/h) in the 20mph (32km/h) zone and Francis reached speeds of up to 61mph (98km/h).

He did not activate his blue lights and sirens as he followed the suspect vehicle and then struck Mr Brown, who had been crossing a marked illuminated pedestrian crossing with another person.

Francis was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for two years, in February.

Following the IOPC hearing, regional director Sal Naseem said: "The evidence indicated that PC Francis did not have sufficient regard to other road users when driving along that part of the road.

"The nature of his driving involved a greater risk than necessary and meant a collision was sadly unavoidable."

Francis' dismissal came on the day another Met officer was sacked, after being found guilty of using his position to try to start a sexual relationship with "vulnerable" teenagers.

PC Adnan Arib, 45, was jailed last month for two years after contacting two girls, aged 15 and 16, and meeting them while on duty.

Southwark Crown Court heard Arib met the 15-year-old in a park and sent the older girl dozens of text messages saying she was "very pretty".