Prosecution threshold was not met in case of Black Country schoolgirl struck by driver with drugs in his system
A driver who had drugs in his system when he struck a Black Country schoolgirl was not prosecuted due to the "evidential threshold" not being met, it has been revealed.
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Olivia Kolek, aged 14, was crossing Station Road in Rowley Regis on New Year's Eve in 2021 in darkness when she was struck by a silver Mercedes near the railway station at about 4.48pm. She had been heading to a party.
Driver Brendan Lord told the inquest earlier this week that he did not see the Ormiston Academy pupil, of Anchor Road, Tipton, in the road. He said he was a regular cannabis user and had smoked some the previous day. In the aftermath he tested positive for cannabis and cocaine "breakdown", while crash investigators using CCTV footage calculated the car had been travelling at speeds of approximately 34-38mph in a 30mph zone on impact.
Mr Lord said the speedometer showed he was travelling at 31mph.
The hearing was told that Mr Lord, who lived in Stourbridge at the time, was not charged with any criminal offences relating to the case.
