Apology over Pc 'killer' report

A Met police officer has accepted a public apology over a false claim that he ran down and killed a teenage thief.

Mischa Niering, 19, died when his scooter hit a parked car as police chased him after a jewel robbery in Sloane Square, central London, in 2005.

National News Press and Photographic Agency reported that Pc Gorbakhsh Singh told an inquest he "ran down" Niering.

The agency accepted that its report was inaccurate and defamatory and agreed at the High Court to pay Mr Singh's costs.

Mr Singh was one of the officers who pursued the teenager after the robbery at Tiffanys jewellers in October 2005.

'50mph chase'

He gave evidence at the Westminster Coroner's Court inquest in 2007, a hearing covered by the press agency, run by Mike Doran and Jim Leffman.

The agency's report appeared on a website under the headline "Police driver tells inquest how he ran down jewel thief", the High Court heard.

The agency also reported that Mr Singh told the inquest "how he ran down and killed a teenage jewel thief in a 50mph chase through residential streets".

Mr Doran and Mr Leffman accepted that the account was inaccurate and withdrew any suggestion that Mr Singh was responsible for Mr Niering's death.

They also apologised for any distress or embarrassment caused to Mr Singh, who was not the officer driving the car which was chasing the scooter.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Niering was killed by the impact of his motor scooter with a stationary vehicle.