Six police officers will face misconduct proceedings following an investigation into their actions after three people died in a car crash.
Sophie Russon, 20, Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were last seen around 02:00 GMT on March 4, 2023, after they went missing during a night out.
Two days after the accident, on March 6, Gwent Police confirmed that the car had been found on the A48, near Cardiff, and that three of the five occupants had died.
Family and friends made repeated appeals to find the missing group over the weekend, and the mother of one of the girls said she had been told to stop contacting police for updates.
In a statement, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had “examined Gwent Police’s response” to missing persons reports made by relatives of victims “including whether appropriate resources were assessed, reviewed and provided”.
The statement says the following officers face disciplinary proceedings:
- A sergeant responsible for the investigation on March 5 for serious misconduct for his “supervision of the missing persons investigation”
- A PC for gross misconduct for allegedly failing to conduct basic investigations, including failing to record or share information with a supervisor, and allegedly failing to adequately communicate with family members who had reported their loved ones missing.
- Two police officers for gross misconduct after allegedly failing to carry out house searches as per policy and giving dishonest accounts to their supervisor and IOPC investigators about this.
- One of these officers was also criminally investigated for offenses of misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice, but the IOPC found insufficient evidence to refer him to the Crown Prosecution Service.
- A PC for misconduct for allegedly failing to conduct proper home searches in accordance with policy
- A sergeant for misconduct related to allegations of failing to review all available information when conducting a risk assessment for missing women.
