Officer not to blame in fatal Shropshire crash

The jury concluded that Constable Mark Gallacher had been right to pursue a stolen Vauxhall Corsa driven by Stefen Boswell along the A5 on the outskirts of Shrewsbury – even though it involved driving on the wrong side of the road.

The hearing had previously heard that the chase had been called off moments before 20-year-old Mr Boswell lost control and crashed. Mr Boswell was declared dead at the scene and his nephew Jamie Jones, who was a passenger in the car, suffered serious injuries.

The jury of 10 unanimously concluded that Mr Boswell, of St Anne's Road in Wolverhampton, died of multiple injuries caused by a road traffic collision.

Despite the jury hearing evidence that Constable Gallacher had gone against pursuit procedure by also driving in the wrong lane during the chase, they concluded that his actions were "justified and did not contribute" to the final outcome and the death of Mr Boswell. The three-day hearing was told that Mr Boswell had lost control as he was driving the wrong way around Emstrey island during the early hours of June 6 last year.

He mounted the embankment and crashed, and Constable Gallacher described seeing an "enormous cloud of smoke and sparks" as he approached.

Sergeant Neil Welding, senior investigating officer for road deaths, had also told the jury that Constable Gallacher had reached speeds of 101mph during the chase.

Mr Boswell had picked up Mr Jones in the car that he had stolen from the driveway of a home in Craven Arms earlier that night. The pair had been heading towards Wolverhampton when Constable Gallacher spotted the car and the chase began.

Mr Jones survived the crash and is currently serving a year in jail for aggravated vehicle taking.

After hearing the conclusion, Mr John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire, offered his condolences to Mr Boswell's family members who attended the hearing – father Neil Bland, mother Christine Jones, sister Kelly Jones, and stepmother Vanessa Bland.