Cardiff crash: Gwent Police face 'false statement' inquiry

A police officer is being criminally investigated for allegedly falsifying their witness statement after a car crash when three young people died, the police watchdog has said.

Seven Gwent Police officers have now been served misconduct notices after the incident in Cardiff in March 2023.

Eve Smith, 21, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Darcy Ross, 21, were found dead in the car in St Mellons 46 hours later.

Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were both seriously injured.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has announced it has widened its investigation after one Gwent officer was handed a misconduct notice in June.

The IOPC said it had analysed "a significant amount of evidence" and received "detailed complaints" from the families of the young people involved.

Two officers have been handed gross misconduct notices concerning whether or not they carried out searches of the homes of two of the people reported missing.

One of these officers is also under criminal investigation for allegedly falsifying their witness statement.

Another two officers have been served notices over their handling of missing person reports, one officer for potential misconduct and another for possible gross misconduct.

One officer has been served a notice for potential gross misconduct concerning their face-to-face communication with family members at a police station and how they dealt with the information received.

An additional two officers have been served misconduct notices over alleged remarks made at the collision scene.

The IOPC has clarified that these notices do not necessarily mean disciplinary or criminal proceedings are guaranteed to follow.

IOPC director David Ford said: "Since the start of our investigation, we have expanded our work to investigate a number of detailed complaints from the families affected.

As a result, seven Gwent Police officers have been advised that they are under investigation.

"At the end of our investigation, we will make decisions as to whether any officer should face disciplinary proceedings and whether any matters should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service."

Gwent Police Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said the force understands "how important the findings of this investigation will be to all those affected".

"We have been and continue to fully support the investigation which is being carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct," he said.

"It's important that these matters are investigated thoroughly in an open and transparent manner."