A POLICE probe into the death of Marlon Vella found an officer told a police control room he would not pursue the scooter he believed was making off from him in the moments before the crash.

Mr Vella was killed in the crash on Primsland Way, Droitwich, in April 2020, after the Yamaha scooter he had been riding crashed into a tree.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation into the crash, specifically the actions of the police officer's driving, which concluded in March.

Investigators have now concluded the West Mercia police officer acted appropriately.

The watchdog said at 4pm on April 27 the 21-year-old was travelling ahead in the same direction on Primsland Way as a marked West Mercia Police vehicle which was responding to an emergency call about a domestic abuse incident in Worcester.

The IOPC found PC Smart did not pursue the scooter, as he was allocated to the emergency domestic incident, but he had called it into the control room saying he believed the scooter had made off from him.

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The inquest heard PC Smart had been on blue lights at the time, saying he was "shocked" the scooter was travelling faster than him when he was already over the speed limit attending to the emergency call.

Mr Vella’s scooter collided with a tree before PC Smart arrived and stopped his police car and an ambulance was called, but sadly Mr Vella was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation determined that the officer was a significant distance behind the motor scooter, and that Mr Vella would have been out of the officer’s view when the crash took place. Investigators also found Mr Vella would not have been able to see the police vehicle at the time of the crash.

IOPC regional director, Derrick Campbell, said: “Owing to the proximity of the police car at the time Mr Vella’s scooter crashed, it was appropriate that we investigated the full circumstances.

"Our investigation found that the police officer driving had acted in accordance with police training, and roads policing procedures.

"The domestic abuse incident requiring an emergency response had been correctly graded by West Mercia Police.”

Investigators analysed CCTV evidence, police logs and radio communications, considered accounts from a number of eyewitnesses, and examined the collision investigation report and relevant policies on police driving.

An inquest held at Worcestershire Coroner's Court on Tuesday, (November 3) recorded cause of death as a road traffic collision.