A POLICE officer accused of driving dangerously during a pursuit through Stratford town centre will have to wait more than a year before standing trial.
And by the time Pc Wil Weininger does face a jury at Warwick Crown Court’s just-opened Nightingale court, it will be over two years since the incident.
The 29-year-old, who was charged under his full name of Wilhelm Weininger, pleaded not guilty at the main crown court building to a charge of dangerous driving.
It is alleged he drove a police BMW dangerously in Greenhill Street during a pursuit through Stratford town centre on November 26 last year.
Recorder Penelope Stanistreet-Keen said because of the backlog of cases due to the Covid pandemic, the trial could not be given a fixed date at the crown court until early 2023.
But she pointed out that it could be given an earlier date if it was suitable to be heard at the court’s Nightingale court – which has just opened at the M40 J15 Warwick Hotel.
Adrian Keeling QC, defending, agreed that it would be a suitable case to be heard there, pointing out: “All of the witnesses and the defendant are professionals.”
Following a discussion about a suitable date, Recorder Stanistreet-Keen adjourned the case for trial at the Nightingale court on December 12 next year.
Mr Weininger, who was accompanied to court by his Police Federation representative, was granted unconditional bail.
