A police officer who lied in a police statement about a colleague’s car crash as part of a cover-up into the circumstances has been convicted.

Donna Coker, 34, from Aylesbury, provided a false statement during the investigation into a crash PC Varinder Sehmi had been involved in at around 7.25am on August 6, 2017, along the Uxbridge Road in Ealing. The crash left the other driver, a civilian, with serious injuries, including multiple fractures.

In her statement Coker claimed that the driver of the car looked drunk, and that she had discussed this with her other colleagues securing the scene at the time.

But CCTV evidence showed she had not approached the driver as she had claimed.

After sending the false statement to her manager some months later, Coker, who was based at Ealing police station, also forwarded it on to Sehmi himself saying: “FYI my statement is done. Hope it helps.”

Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, which concluded today (June 21), Coker was convicted of one count of perverting the course of justice.

Paul Goddard, from the CPS, said: “This was a deliberate attempt to thwart a police investigation into a car crash by a serving police officer.

“PC Donna Coker tried to help her colleague by placing the blame for the collision onto an injured civilian driver. Coker’s actions were dishonest and were carried out in order to cast inaccurate smears on the other driver.

“The prosecution was able to present video evidence, including PC Coker’s own body worn footage, which clearly showed she had barely engaged with the civilian driver – and had therefore lied when asserting in her statement that she had had a close look at him, and formed the opinion he was drunk.

“The victim also gave evidence during the trial, describing the aftermath of the crash that left him trapped inside his car and requiring hospital treatment.

“The CPS will always aim to prosecute those who break the law regardless of who they are.”

Coker will be sentenced at the same court on July 19, 2021.

PC Varinder Sehmi was convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in a separate trial at Southwark Crown Court.

He was sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months in April 2021.