A Lincolnshire Police officer who hit a pedestrian while driving to an emergency call in Lincoln has been given a final written warning, not dismissed, after a misconduct hearing on Friday.

PC Aodan O’Neill struck the man at a pedestrian crossing on Broadgate on November 4, 2024, while using blue lights and sirens. He had been travelling at between 54 and 58mph as he approached the crossing with the traffic lights on red, according to the case heard at Nettleham Police headquarters. The pedestrian, who had been listening to music, stepped out after seeing the green sign for people crossing. O’Neill braked sharply, but the man was hit by the passenger side of the car. He stopped immediately and helped the victim, who suffered minor injuries and has since recovered.

The hearing was told O’Neill had been responding to a colleague’s request for help with a violent person and had been trained in emergency response driving. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in March and was disqualified from driving for 12 months at Nottingham Crown Court on March 19, when he was also handed a 12-month community order and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. Despite that, he continued working as a response officer before the misconduct case was heard.

At the hearing, O’Neill said the crash would continue to haunt him. He told the panel: “Policing is more than just a job to me. I love serving the community,” adding: “I made a mistake which has lived with me ever since, and will continue to for a long time.” He also said: “I see myself as an honest, hard-working officer who admits his mistake.”

Steven Reed, representing the force case, described the collision as a “momentary lapse of judgement” and said O’Neill was “genuinely remorseful for” what happened. Chief Constable Paul Gibson said: “This is an exceptional case where the officer did everything right except for a split-second decision.” He added: “The public would expect him to run towards danger to assist his colleague.”

The decision means O’Neill keeps his job, at least for now, but the force has made clear the case is judged as an exceptional one because the driving error came during an urgent response to protect another officer. The warning leaves him facing the consequences of the collision while remaining on duty after a case that has already moved through both the criminal courts and internal discipline.