Pensioner Struck in Royal Escort Incident
A Metropolitan Police officer has told a court that an 81-year-old woman who died after being hit by his motorcycle "appeared almost from nowhere" on a pedestrian crossing in West London. Helen Holland died from her injuries two weeks after the collision on May 10, 2023.
Details of the Crash Emerge in Court
The Old Bailey heard that Pc Christopher Harrison, 68, was part of a team of convoy motorcycle outriders escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, after she left the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office. The prosecution alleges Harrison was travelling at between 44mph and 58mph on West Cromwell Road, which had a 30mph speed limit, as he approached the traffic lights.
In an interview with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), Harrison stated: "The first time I see her, she just appears to be there. I did not see her in the footway at all on the approach." He also revealed that his body-worn camera was not recording at the time because he had forgotten to switch it on.
The court was told that Ms Holland was 2.9 metres onto the crossing when Harrison's motorbike struck her. She suffered a skull fracture, multiple other fractures, and extensive bruising. A post-mortem examination concluded she died from complications arising from a severe head injury.
Legal Arguments and Expert Testimony
While police outriders on escort duties are legally permitted to exceed speed limits and pass red lights, the prosecution argues that Harrison failed to drive carefully. Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC said: "Mrs Holland was entitled to be crossing then, Mr Harrison knew that the light for traffic, for him, was red, and so he should have taken care when driving through the red light."
An expert witness, Johnathan Moody, Lancashire Police's deputy chief training instructor, told the court that Harrison's actions at the crossing were not up to standard. He stated that for the final hazard—the red light—he "would have expected a working bike to have stopped" to prevent pedestrians from using the crossing.
Harrison, who joined the police in 1982 and the Special Escort Group in 2002, pleaded not guilty to causing death by careless driving. The trial continues.
