Police response was "proportionate and appropriately risk-assessed" before a man died after steering into the path of an oncoming livestock lorry on the Newtown bypass, a watchdog has ruled.
Dyfed-Powys Police's actions in the 30 minutes before Marc Foulkes died in the head-on collision on April 25 last year was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Mr Foulkes's van was being followed at a "safe distance" by an officer from Penstrowed to the scene of the crash on the Newtown Bypass after a family member called 999 to report the 36-year-old as a missing person.
An inquest held on Monday (September 26) heard that police sergeant Rob Hamer waited around 100 metres behind Mr Foulkes' van to “not draw attention as it may provoke a reaction and make sure he was going the right way home” following concerns about his welfare.
Senior coroner Graeme Hughes recorded the death was a result of suicide concluding that the popular Newtown man had deliberately driven across the road and into the direct path of the articulated lorry sustaining fatal injuries that were likely caused by a manoeuvre to cause his own death. The coroner added: “I would not necessarily attach great weight or any that Marc had no reason to act the way he did simply due to the presence of a police vehicle.” Mr Hughes also said that Mr Foulkes had not done anything “to fear or to be intimidated by police contact”.
The IOPC released a statement today (Thursday, September 29) about their investigation following the coroner's conclusion earlier this week into Mr Foulkes' death.
“We carried out an independent investigation into the actions of Dyfed-Powys Police shortly prior to the fatal road traffic collision near Newtown in April last year, in which Marc Foulkes sadly died," a spokesman for the police watchdog said.
“During our investigation, we obtained and reviewed the police log, audio recordings, dashcam footage and body worn video collated as part of the incident. We obtained accounts from control room staff, police officers and the family and friends of Mr Foulkes.
“We established that at 6.10pm on Sunday, April 25, 2021, a family member contacted police to express concerns for Mr Foulkes’ welfare and to report him as a missing person. At approximately 6.22pm, acting on information received, police made contact with a friend of Mr Foulkes, who was with him at a layby and talking to him. The friend stated that Mr Foulkes was going to follow him back to the home address, where it was agreed the police would attend to address any welfare concerns. At approximately 6.36pm, a police officer who had been following Mr Foulkes’ van at a distance informed the control room that there had been a road traffic collision.
“At the end of our investigation in August 2021, we found that Dyfed-Powys Police had responded appropriately to the concerns reported and there was no evidence that police had any direct contact with Mr Foulkes from the time he was reported missing to the fatal collision. The initial call received by the force was dealt with as an immediate response and resources were deployed. We found that the police officer following Mr Foulkes’ vehicle did so at a safe distance, and there was no evidence to suggest Mr Foulkes was aware of the presence of the police vehicle. In our view the police approach taken was proportionate and appropriately risk-assessed.
“Following our investigation we shared our findings with Mr Foulkes’ family, Dyfed-Powys Police, and the Coroner to help inform the inquest.
"We would again like to send our sincere condolences to Mr Foulkes’s family and friends for their tragic loss.”
Helplines
If you would like any help with bereavement, loss or mental wellbeing, here are some helpline numbers
You can call the Samaritans on 116 123
Papyrus Hopeline on 0800 068 4141
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) on 0800 58 58 58
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) 0300 111 5065 uksobs.org
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