Police officers sacked for misconduct over teen's party death
Two police constables have been dismissed from the Metropolitan Police for gross misconduct following the death of a 17-year-old youth who was punched at a party.
Pc Claire Derbyshire and Pc Peter Cruise “failed to ascertain the victim was 17-years old and that other young men were at the scene who had been drinking with juveniles,” the force said.
Both officers “knowingly made misleading and inaccurate reports of the outcome,” police added on Thursday.
George Verrier died in September 2013 – the day after a punch caused him to fall to the ground and hit his head on the road in Bromley, south-east London.
The “healthy, funny and intelligent young man” was briefly unconscious before going home with a friend and sleeping, but was taken to hospital when he could not be roused the next day.
A post-mortem examination showed that the impact with the road had caused a skull fracture and bleeding from an injured artery.
