Andrew Gwynne - South Wales Police

Read about our investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Andrew Gwynne, 35, following a South Wales Police pursuit on the M4 motorway in Cardiff on Saturday 5 August, 2017.

*Update December 2022 - A three-week inquest held at Pontypridd ended on 1 December 2022 and a jury returned a suicide outcome along with a narrative conclusion.

Our investigation, which concluded in 2020, found no indication that any police officer involved in the pursuits on the M4 motorway in Cardiff prior to the sad death of Mr Gwynne behaved in a manner that would justify bringing disciplinary proceedings. The investigation examined the decision-making and actions of police officers involved in the pursuits and whether they were in accordance with local and national policy and guidance.

The evidence gathered by the IOPC indicates that the police officers involved acted legitimately, with the intention of protecting Mr Gwynne’s life and the lives of other road users.

All police officers were treated as witnesses during the course of our investigation. At the end of the investigation, the IOPC raised some learning points with South Wales Police in respect of the functionality of in-car CCTV systems, ensuring the availability of a pursuit tactical advisor, and the preference for deploying stinger devices where there is a sterile area ahead of the subject vehicle.