Criminal investigation into fatal crash involving policeman linked to Rotherham scandal

Criminal charges are being considered after a police officer was fatally injured in a road crash '“ on the day he was put on restricted duties over the Rotherham abuse scandal.
The scene of the fatal collisionThe scene of the fatal collision
The scene of the fatal collision

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it is ‘carefully considering’ a file from South Yorkshire Police about the collision in Darnall last January that resulted in the death of PC Hassan Ali.

PC Ali died on February 6 last year in hospital after being involved in a collision with a car on Staniforth Road, Darnall in Sheffield on January 28 at around 10.15pm.

PC Hassan AliPC Hassan Ali
PC Hassan Ali
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It is understood criminal charges are being considered against the driver of the vehicle which hit PC Ali, but the CPS says it is not in a position to confirm the nature of the offence they are looking at.

A CPS spokesperson said: “We have received a file from South Yorkshire Police in connection with this matter.

“We are carefully considering all the evidence presented to us, to establish whether there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.”

The trial of seven people accused of playing roles in a child grooming ring in Rotherham was told that on January 28 last year, PC Ali had been served with a duties restriction notice in connection with complaints about his conduct.

PC Hassan AliPC Hassan Ali
PC Hassan Ali
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Sheffield Crown Court was told PC Ali had allegedly been involved in a ‘no prosecution’ deal for abuse ringleader Arshid Hussain in relation to a missing underage girl.

He was said to have been involved with Rotherham Council deputy leader Jahangir Akhtar in arranging for Hussain to hand over the girl to police at a petrol station in exchange for Hussain not being arrested.

The jury found Hussain guilty of an abduction charge after the victim described the incident in court.

The court was told PC Ali had denied the petrol station incident had ever happened when interviewed by police before his death.

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Agreed facts given to the jury said PC Ali had been based at Rotherham Main Street police station from 1996 until the time of his death last year.

It said PC Ali was under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission in relation to five complaints against him including allegations of ‘corrupt practice’.

Three of the complaints against him related to one woman who had a child when she was 15 as a result of her abuse from Arshid Hussain.

They included two allegations of ‘corrupt practice’ – one stating that PC Ali had asked the girl on a date and the second saying he had provided her with a picture of Arshid Hussain taken from a confidential police database.

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The third allegation of ‘neglect/failure in duty’ said PC Ali had been ‘involved in an arrangement’ for a child that had been in Arshid Hussain’s company to be handed over to the police, in exchange for Arshid Hussain not being arrested or prosecuted.

The two other complaints against him were also of ‘neglect/failure in duty’ – one alleging he failed to properly investigate an allegation that a child had been taken from her parent and locked in a house overnight and the second claiming he had failed to properly inquire into the identity of a child found on the street at night.

The court was also told during the trial that PC Ali had ‘conducted research’ on the police database into defendants Arshid Hussain and his brother Basharat Hussain.

He searched for the name of Arshid Hussain in January 2008 and the name of Basharat Hussain in October 2007 and December 2011.

Following PC Ali’s death last year, South Yorkshire Police chief constable David Crompton said he was a ‘well-liked officer whose colleagues are devastated by what has happened’.