Police officer settles £10m case

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A £10m damages action raised on behalf of a Grampian police officer seriously injured in a crash has been settled.

John Alcock, 44, who was deployed on royal protection duties at Balmoral, suffered severe brain trauma and now needs intensive 24-hour care.

Evidence had been due to start at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in one of the largest personal injuries cases ever brought in Scotland.

The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed.

Lawyers for Mr Alcock, of Garmouth, Moray, were suing an Italian tourist and Grampian Police, and the case had been set down to last four weeks before Lord Carloway.

Mr Alcock was a passenger in a marked police car travelling from Elgin in Moray, to Ballater police station on 13 August, 2003, when it was involved in a crash with a Land Rover Discovery driven by Marco Bologna.

'Without warning'

Mr Bologna, of Riccione, Italy, later admitted careless driving at Elgin Sheriff Court and was fined £1,000.

It was claimed in the civil damages action that the crash was caused by Mr Bologna's vehicle "suddenly and without warning" crossing onto the wrong side of the road.

However, Mr Bologna blamed the driver of the police car, Sgt Vincent Stuart, for the accident, claiming he drove onto the wrong side of the road as he rounded a bend.

Mr Bologna claimed he swerved onto the opposite carriageway in an attempt to avoid him.

The officer had been deployed on royal protection duties at Balmoral

The chief constable of the Grampian force, who was brought into the action as the sergeant's employer, claimed the accident was entirely Mr Bologna's fault and his officer tried to take evasive action but was unable to avoid a collision.

The action on behalf of Mr Alcock was brought by an Aberdeen lawyer who acts as his financial guardian.

Mr Alcock, who was engaged to his fiancee Donna McWilliam, was left entirely immobile after the crash and required intensive medical treatment from the outset.

Ms McWilliam, a former doctors' receptionist, gave up work to help look after him, it was said.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Mr Alcock said funding for private health care was currently being provided by a police charity, but that could not continue.

Relatives were seeking damages to ensure an appropriate level of health care could be continued.