Police officer cleared of causing driver’s death during high-speed chase in Bristol
The driver PC Matthew Pike was chasing collided with a Honda Jazz, driven by a member of the public, who later died
Last updated 21st Jan 2026
A police officer burst into tears as he was cleared of killing a motorist during a high-speed pursuit of another driver.
Matthew Pike, 40, was following a white Volkswagen Tiguan driven by Lewis Griffin through Bristol city centre shortly before midnight on November 4, 2021.
Bristol Crown Court heard how PC Pike reached speeds of up to 93mph in his unmarked BMW police car as he followed Griffin.
The pursuit ended when Griffin's car collided with a Honda Jazz being driven by Keryl Johnson, 35.
Dr Johnson was badly injured in the crash at Newfoundland Circus and died several days later in hospital.
Griffin, 23, was jailed in February 2024 for eight years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for 10 years.
PC Pike was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving, and an alternative charge of causing death by careless driving.
Following legal submissions from Ray Tully KC, representing PC Pike, Judge Edward Burgess KC ruled the prosecution had not proven its case and ordered the jury to find the defendant not guilty of all charges.
Addressing the jury, the judge said: "As you know, on Thursday of last week, the prosecution closed its case, meaning that at that stage they had called all the evidence they had intended to in this trial.
"Over the course of the next few court days, I considered the evidence and the law and considered it with counsel on both sides.
"At the conclusion of that process, I came to the decision, which is my decision as the judge of the law, that looking at this as a whole, the evidence in this case is not sufficient to allow any jury to find that the defendant Matthew Pike drove dangerously or drove carelessly.
"This is because prosecution expert witness told you that in his opinion, as an expert in police pursuits, training and driving, Matthew Pike did not drive dangerously and did not drive carelessly at any stage during the pursuit of the VW Tiguan.
"On the contrary, put simply he said Matthew Pike did his job as he was trained to do it.
"As a result, it is my decision that on both counts, Matthew Pike must now be found not guilty."
The judge added: "This is a dreadfully difficult, incredibly sad and utterly tragic case.
"So far as the proceedings against Matthew Pike are concerned at the crown court, they are now at an end."
During the trial, the jury was told that PC Pike was trained to the most advanced level of police driving, had received all relevant refresher training, and was authorised for pursuit driving.