GMP officer to face court after pedestrian seriously injured during Rochdale police pursuit

Tuesday, 5 August 2025 11:29

By David Murphy

A Greater Manchester Police officer is due in court after a pedestrian was left with life-threatening injuries during a police chase in Rochdale.

A serving GMP constable will appear before magistrates this week following a crash that left a man seriously hurt on a Rochdale pavement during a short police pursuit in 2023.

PC Sam Lockley, aged 34, has been charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed on Tuesday 5 August. The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday 19 November last year.

According to the IOPC, the officer had been attempting to stop a suspected drink driver on Drake Street in Rochdale. A short pursuit followed, lasting about one minute, before Lockley, driving a marked police car, struck a pedestrian on the pavement of Rochdale Road at approximately 3.30am.

The pedestrian sustained severe injuries and has since undergone extensive medical treatment.

A spokesperson for the IOPC said: “We began an investigation after we received a mandatory referral from the force relating to the collision in which a pedestrian sustained serious injuries. At the end of our investigation, we referred our report to the Crown Prosecution Service in April 2025, who subsequently decided to bring the charge last month.”

PC Lockley is due to appear before Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 6 August.

Greater Manchester Police has declined to comment on the matter.

The IOPC oversees complaints and conduct matters involving police forces in England and Wales. Referrals are mandatory in cases involving serious injury or death following contact with police.