A STOURBRIDGE police driver has been cleared of causing the death by careless driving of a university student whom he knocked down on a pelican crossing while responding to an incident.

Pc Vaughan Lowe, a 43-year-old West Midlands Police traffic officer, was yesterday (Wednesday) found not guilty of causing the death of Chinese student Zhang Xuan Wei in April 2012 after a trial at Warwick Crown Court.

The 24-year-old Birmingham City University student, who had been crossing Birmingham’s A34 New Town Row dual carriageway, was thrown into the air by the impact of Pc Lowe’s unmarked BMW as he ‘walked or jogged” onto the pelican crossing – and he died in hospital the following day.

Pc Lowe, a police officer since 1990 who had carried out escort duties for the Royal Family, had been responding with blue lights and siren on to an ‘immediate response’ call and had reduced his speed from 62 to 52mph.

Prosecutor Graham Reeds QC alleged the officer was driving too fast on a road where the speed limit was 30 and said Pc Lowe’s driving fell below the standard of a competent and careful driver.

But after deliberating for more than four hours the jury found him not guilty of causing Mr Wei’s death.

Following the verdict Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told Pc Lowe: “Your joy and your relief at being acquitted has consequences for others.

“Cases such as this are tragedies.  The biggest tragedy is for Mr Zhang and Mrs Zhu who have lost their son who was dearly loved by them.

“The jury have decided it is not a criminal matter.  They must understand that this officer, from the outset, was expressing his remorse and his shock at what happened, and that is not diminished.”

Speaking after leaving court into the arms of his wife, who is also a police officer, Pc Lowe said: “I’m relieved and thankful that it’s all over.  It’s been a long and punishing process for all of us.

 “My thoughts and sympathies are to this young man’s family who’ve had to endure the tragedy of what happened that day.”

Independent Police Complaints Committee deputy chairman Rachel Cerfontyne said after the hearing, however, that Pc Lowe still “had a case to answer for gross misconduct as his driving fell below the required standard and failed to comply with a number of national and force-wide policies as well as the Highway Code”.

She added: “West Midlands Police will now finalise internal disciplinary hearings.”