A 70-year-old spent the last weeks of his life in pain after his jaw was fractured by a police officer in a road rage incident in Frampton Cotterell. 

Peter Burgum died from unrelated causes after being slapped and punched by Stuart Box, then 44, who would have been sacked for gross misconduct if he had not already resigned from Avon and Somerset Police. 

Mr Burgum’s wife Caroline Burgum thought he had been killed when he was knocked to the ground in Church Road in April last year. 

She was also injured as she tried to stop Mr Box leaving but he fled the scene so he could not be held responsible, a police misconduct panel heard this week. 

Her memories of her husband are “indelibly marked” by what happened. 

Mr Box, who was serving in South Gloucestershire at the time, has admitted gross misconduct. No criminal charges were brought against him. 

The incident unfolded after Mr Burgum overtook the cycling off-duty officer in his Mitsubishi estate. Mr Box banged on the side of the car and hit the wing mirror when Mr Burgum braked. 

Mr Box said the driver was a “stupid bastard” who had “nearly f***ing killed me” and should have left more space, the panel heard. 

He slapped Mr Burgum, who then took out his phone to film the incident as he backed away. 

Mr Box claimed he had been hit first as he grabbed the phone and threw it over a fence, before punching Mr Burgum. 

When he fell to the ground, potentially losing consciousness, Mrs Burgum shouted, “You’ve killed him,” the misconduct panel heard. 

Despite her attempts to stop him, Mr Box got on his bike and rode off without calling 999 or leaving his details. 

Representing Avon and Somerset Police, barrister Elliot Gold said the officer was trying to escape responsibility but he was later identified from dashcam footage. 

Mr Burgum suffered two fractures to his jaw, requiring surgery that left him unable to eat solid foods, as well as cuts and bruises. 

Mr Gold said: “For reasons that were unrelated, Mr Burgum tragically died from other matters. The consequences were that Mr and Mrs Burgums’ last weeks together were affected in the most adverse way. 

“Mrs Burgum has had insomnia, nightmares and flashbacks. Her memories of the last weeks with her husband have been indelibly marked by what happened.”

Mr Gold said Mr Box lost his temper and used an unreasonable level of force when he should have tried to de-escalate the situation. 

He said public confidence in the police would have been damaged if PC Box had been allowed to remain as a police officer. 

Police Federation representative Andy Roebuck said the former officer had expressed remorse and “could only apologise” for what happened. 

Panel chair Stephanie Beazley said Mr Box may have acted on adrenaline initially but his culpability for the incident increased the longer it went on. 

She said the panel was deeply concerned about the continuing impact on Mrs Burgum, who had suffered “indefinite psychological harm”. 

“PC Box had 23 years of police experience, he should have known better,” she said. 

“We take a dim view of his leaving the scene. There was a disappointing lack of genuine remorse. His focus was on damage to his bike. 

“Public confidence has likely already been lost. The only outcome must seek to restore it. 

“Had he still been serving his position would have been untenable. He would have been dismissed without notice.” 

Superintendent Simon Wilstead, head of professional standards, said: “Firstly, on behalf of Avon and Somerset Constabulary I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologise to Mrs Burgum and her family for the incident which involved an off-duty officer.

“Mr Box was not on duty at the time of the incident, but nevertheless we expect a high standard of behaviour by officers, whether they are in or out of uniform, and he failed to meet those ethical standards.

“As a police force we believe in absolute transparency and Mr Box’s failure to report what happened at the earliest opportunity is at odds with what we stand for.

“The Independent Office for Police Conduct was informed of the incident at the outset and it decided it was happy with Avon and Somerset Police investigating what happened. A thorough and proportionate criminal investigation was carried out before the Crown Prosecution Service was presented with the evidence.

“The misconduct investigation has subsequently followed leading to today’s outcome. Despite the officer resigning, it was important to hold a hearing into the very serious allegations against Mr Box to ensure that, if proven, he would be placed on the barred list.”