Ex top traffic cop charged in hit and run

(CNS): Inspector Adrian Barnett (53), the former chief of the RCIPS Traffic Management Unit, has been charged with a list of offences in connection with a hit-and-run on Crewe Road in June. Barnett, who lives in George Town, is facing charges of dangerous driving, driving whilst impaired, leaving the scene of an accident, and misleading the police. Barnett, who was suspended following his arrest a few days after the crash, has been bailed to appear in court on 8 January. He was off-duty and driving a white Pontiac SUV when he reportedly rear-ended a silver Land Rover before leaving the scene of the relatively minor prang in which no one was hurt.

Barnett was tracked down and arrested by his RCIPS colleagues on 13 June, a few days after the smash on 10 June.

In the past, the police inspector was a vocal advocate for road safety and better driving. Commenting in early 2016 about the very high death toll on Cayman’s roads, Barnett said, “The fact is that drinking and driving, speeding, and the general failure of drivers to pay adequate attention to what they’re doing continue to be the main causes of fatal accidents.”