Six officers face misconduct proceedings over A48 crash

Six Gwent Police officers are set to face disciplinary proceedings following an investigation into their handling of missing person reports before a fatal car crash on the A48 near Cardiff.

Sophie Russon, 20, Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were last seen at about 02:00 GMT on 4 March 2023 after going missing on a night out.

The car was found two days later on 6 March, with three of the five occupants killed in the crash. Family and friends had made repeated appeals throughout the weekend to find the missing group, with one mother saying she had been told to stop contacting police for updates.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has now concluded its investigation. In a statement, the IOPC said it had “examined Gwent Police’s response” to the missing person reports made by family members “including if they were appropriately risk assessed, reviewed and resourced”.

The officers facing proceedings include:

• A sergeant facing gross misconduct charges for their “supervision of the missing persons inquiry” on 5 March
• A PC facing gross misconduct for allegedly failing to carry out basic inquiries, not recording and sharing information with a supervisor, and allegedly failing to communicate appropriately with families who reported their loved ones missing
• Two PCs facing gross misconduct after allegedly failing to conduct house searches as per policy and giving dishonest accounts to their supervisor and IOPC investigators. One of these officers was also criminally investigated for misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice, but the IOPC found insufficient evidence to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service
• A PC facing misconduct for allegedly not carrying out adequate house searches as per policy
• A sergeant facing misconduct for allegations of failing to review all available information when conducting a risk assessment for the missing women