AN off-duty policeman who left a dying woman after a heated road rage dispute has been found guilty of misconduct.
Christina Roche, 62, was driving along her street - Snowden Avenue, Hillingdon - on November 16 2010, when her wing mirror clipped a passing car.
The other driver approached Mrs Roche's vehicle to complain about her driving, and then identified himself as a police officer. He wasn't on duty at the time.
Mrs Roche's husband intervened, and she then sat slumped in the driver's seat as her health rapidly deteriorated.
The 45 year-old officer, who is in a specialist firearm team, got back in his car and drove off.
An ambulance was called, but Mrs Roche was pronounced dead at the scene. An inquest recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.
The officer was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to take no further action in January 2011.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) managed the investigation.
A Met Police misconduct board found this week that he had failed to provide a 'basic duty of care'.
The officer was given a final written warning following the two-day hearing, on Monday and Tuesday.
Deborah Glass, IPCC Commissioner for London, said: "This officer failed to perform his basic duty of care towards Mrs Roche when plainly she was in need of medical assistance.
"Having put himself on duty during an altercation, he chose to leave the scene without attempting to provide first aid himself or calling for an ambulance.
"Although the officer’s actions did not cause Mrs Roche’s death, it is clear they added to the distress suffered by her husband and family."