Story perspectives

Police Misconduct Revealed in Father’s Fatal Hit-and-Run

11/7/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Gareth Roper, a father-of-six, died after police left him barefoot and in boxer shorts, having driven him nearly four miles from his arrest location.
Roper was struck by a vehicle shortly after being de-arrested outside an Iceland store in Wigan at 3:50 AM.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found misconduct among the involved officers, but the former sergeant faced no sanctions as he is no longer serving.
The two remaining officers will undergo reflective practice, while Jamie Evans, the driver who hit Roper, received a nine-year sentence for dangerous driving.
An inquest into Roper's death is pending.

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Story summary

Gareth Roper, a father-of-six, died after police left him barefoot and in boxer shorts, having driven him nearly four miles from his arrest location.
Roper was struck by a vehicle shortly after being de-arrested outside an Iceland store in Wigan at 3:50 AM.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found misconduct among the involved officers, but the former sergeant faced no sanctions as he is no longer serving.
The two remaining officers will undergo reflective practice, while Jamie Evans, the driver who hit Roper, received a nine-year sentence for dangerous driving.
An inquest into Roper's death is pending.