Change language
Actions
Displays
Remove from selection
Add to selection
Abstract

The long wait by the family of Henry Hicks for answers about the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s tragic death following a police chase is about to end as an inquest date has been set for next month.

Henry, 18, from Angel, died after his moped crashed into cars belonging to members of the public in Wheelwright Street, next to Pentonville Prison, after a chase by two unmarked police cars on December 19, 2014.

A jury inquest into his controversial death, which has severely damaged relations between sections of the community and Islington Police, is due to start on June 13 at St Pancras Coroner’s Court – almost a year after it was initially scheduled.

It follows an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) into police conduct before and during the pursuit.

Speaking to the Tribune this week, Henry’s sister Claudia, 24, who has led the Justice for Henry Hicks campaign, said: “We don’t know whether this date is going to stick, because it’s been changed every time.

“We still know nothing. The last time we met with the IPCC was last year. We’ve just been waiting for the inquest. There’s nothing we can do.

“Answers are what we want and we’ve been waiting for a year-and-a-half. We can’t really move on with our lives until we get some answers.”

All the Hicks family know is what the police watchdog has said so far:

• Henry was “approach­ed” by officers before driving off on his Vespa moped, after which the chase ensued.

• He was pursued by two unmarked police vehicles containing four officers.

• The IPCC concluded that the actions of the pursuing officers “may constitute driving and health and safety offences”. The watchdog has passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration;

• Four officers involv­ed in the pursuit have been served with gross misconduct notices as part of the IPCC investigation, and are on restricted duties.

IPCC guidelines say misconduct notices do not imply guilt but are used to inform officers that their behaviour and conduct are under investigation and the level of severity.

Claudia has indicated that if the CPS does not prosecute anyone, the family could launch a private prosecution.

“The inquest is just another thing we have hanging over our heads, but even that’s not going to be the end of it,” she added.

The initial inquest date, set for September last year, was pushed back after the IPCC launched a second investigation into officers’ conduct towards Henry in the three years leading up to his death, following a complaint by the Hicks family that he was “harassed”.

The family said that Henry was subjected to at least 156 searches in the three years leading up to his death, a figure they say was given to them by the IPCC. That investigation is “progressing well”, an IPCC spokesman said.

Last year, St Pancras coroner Mary Hassell decided that the identities of the four police constables who will appear as witnesses at the inquest will not be revealed, after officers received death threats on social media.

The decision has left Henry’s family furious. Ms Hassell acknowledged that the threats did not come from the family.

Officers will give evidence from behind a screen, although they will be visible by Henry’s family.