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Abstract

Two police officers involved in the “pursuit” of Henry Hicks leading to the crash which killed the teenager have told a coroner’s inquest that their initial accounts were incorrect because they were “in shock”.

Henry, 18, from Angel, died after losing control of a Vespa moped and crashing into cars belonging to members of the public in Wheelwright Street, next to Pentonville Prison, on December 19, 2014.

As an inquest into his death entered its second week, a jury heard he was being followed by two unmarked police cars which had their sirens on and blue lights flashing.

Giving evidence from behind a red curtain at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday, the driver of one of the cars, known only as “Officer A”, said: “I accelerated towards him and I was going to stop next to him and speak to him to examine the bike and investigate possible drug dealing. But before I could get close to him he rode off at speed.”

The two unmarked cars had been following Henry since spotting him in Copenhagen Street, just before 8pm.

Officer A, who drove a Hyundai car closest behind Henry, told the jury the moped had aroused their suspicion and he suspected Henry of drug dealing.

“He gave no indication at all he was aware [we were following him], he never looked over his shoulder or anything,” he said.

“I’ve been in many motorcycle pursuits and the rider always looks where the police is. My belief was that he did not know I was there and I was not in pursuit.”

However, the inquest heard that, in an initial statement provided to a police officer at the scene shortly afterwards, Officer A had said: “[In Caledonian Road] I signalled for it [the moped] to stop, as soon as I put my blue lights on the moped rode off.”


Asked by St Pancras coroner Mary Hassell why he now said he had not been able to get close enough to Henry to signal for him to stop, and that Henry had not been aware police were pursuing him, the officer said: “That [statement] was taken 20 minutes after witnessing a terrible, tragic, sad incident.

“There was a vast amount of blood, my colleagues had blood on their faces and clothing. I was in total shock when I gave this account and signed it as correct.

“It is incorrect. I never signalled for the rider to stop. This is not a true reflection of what happened that night. I gave [another] statement [two days later] and at that time I was more able to give a full and accurate account.”

A transcript of radio messages later read out to the jury revealed Officer A had told the police control room upon arrival at the crash scene in Wheelwright Street: “I indicated for him to make off. So he’s failed to stop. This is going to be very serious.”

Commenting on the officer’s choice of words, Nicholas Rhodes QC, representing the Hicks family in court, said: “So driver A believed that he indicated [to Henry] to stop and he had failed to stop and that’s someone just jumbling up the words.”

Asked to explain the apparent discrepancy, the officer told the jury: “I have no recollection of saying that at all, so much that I [asked to hear] the tapes because I was adamant I could not have said that. [But] it was me.”

He added: “The only reasonable explanation I can give is that, on that night, [we were] driving up the road with every intention to stop the driver of this moped. I see him now on the floor bleeding to death, I was in a total state of shock. Honestly, I have no recollection of saying it. I was on auto-pilot. It was in the heat of the moment and I tried to convey a message and it was incorrect.”

Ms Hassell said: “There’s one interpretation of this – that it was truthfully what happened and you said that before you had to make up a different story because you thought you could get into trouble and you lied about it.”

The officer replied: “I was astonished [upon seeing the transcript] and I asked to hear the tapes. I always believed the rider of the moped was not aware of me.”

Jurors have been shown CCTV footage of the teenager riding up Caledonian Road at speed, with the police cars following a short distance behind.

The court heard police guidelines dictate officers who believe it may be necessary to chase a moped or motorcycle must consider a number of factors, including whether the rider is wearing a crash helmet and protective clothing, and whether a pursuit is necessary, balanced against risk of harm for the subject of the chase. They also have to signal to the suspect to stop and ask for authorisation from a senior commander before chasing a vehicle.

In their evidence, Officer A, and Officer B – the operator of the police Hyundai – told the inquest they did not seek authorisation because they believed the situation involving Henry had not yet progressed to what officers “technically” understand as a pursuit, because he was “unaware of [their] presence”.

In cross-examination, Mr Rhodes said to Officer A: “I suggest that you wanted to stop and check the bike. That’s why you diverted from the duty that you had and when the bike made off in Caledonian Road, you chased it, didn’t you?

“In this case you were in a frolic of your own and it’s that what you regret because it had consequences. You allowed this to become personal, which is what you know you’re not allowed to do.”

The officer replied: “I’ve never been in a drag race with a moped, that’s the image you’re trying to put in my head. I had never had this in seven years [as a police officer].”

Officer B told the inquest he was “positive” Henry was not aware of the police cars behind him. But in a statement given in April last year, read out by the coroner, he had said he was “unsure” about this.

Asked to reconcile the two statements, the officer told the jury: “I don’t think he knew but I can’t answer for him. I don’t think he knew.”

In his first statement, taken shortly after the crash, Officer B had said Henry had been between six and 12 feet away from his car when the teenager took off in Caledonian Road. But he told the inquest on Wednesday: “Looking back, 45 feet could be more accurate.”

Later, he told the jury: “I was in shock and stress. What I had been through, involved in a death, a road traffic collision. We did not get between six to 12 feet [from him], it’s not correct. After a day or two I thought it was 25 feet. I’ve been back to the scene and I think I had considered each street a lot shorter than they are, I can say the roads are a lot longer.”

Both officers said they knew who Henry was but had only become aware that it was him they had been following after the crash.

The teenager was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington but doctors were unable to save his life. He was pronounced dead at 9.15pm. A post-mortem examination later gave a fatal head injury as cause of death.

Last week, the court heard that seven small bags of skunk and £230 in cash were recovered from Henry’s clothing by a detective after the crash and that the moped he was riding had been stolen seven months earlier, although it was registered in his name.

Ms Hassell has ruled that the four officers involved in the pursuit are to be granted anonymity throughout the proceedings.

The inquest continues, and will return to St Pancras Coroner’s Court when the officers, A, B, C and D, have finished giving evidence.

THE police officers who were following Henry Hicks in two unmarked cars before he was killed in a fatal road crash were part of a special unit tasked with tackling moped-related crime in Islington, the inquest heard.

A police driver known only as Officer A, who gave evidence to the inquest into Henry’s death this week, was part of a “proactive” team tackling “moped-enabled crime” such as phone-snatch thefts and “smash and grabs”, he told the court.

In the weeks before Henry’s death a high number of phone-snatch offences and several robberies had been committed by criminals travelling on mopeds, the court heard.

But on the night of the crash death, Officer A’s attention had been drawn to Henry’s moped because it appeared to be a 300cc Vespa Piaggo, he said.

Detectives had recently become aware that such vehicles were stolen and then registered as 125cc Piaggos. The engine numbers of 125cc mopeds would be put on a 300cc moped and these vehicles were referred to by cops as “ringers”.

Officer A said he wanted to stop the teenager’s moped to examine it.

The inquest has heard that the moped belonging to Henry was in fact a 300cc disguised as a 125cc. The moped, which was registered in his name, had been stolen in Twickenham in April 2014, the court heard.

Detective Sergeant Arvinder Marwaha, from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, who was in charge of collecting evidence from the crash scene, told the jury its chassis number had been ground out and the ignition replaced.

Police did not know how long it had been in Henry’s possession, but DS Marwaha told the court that Islington Police had previously confiscated the moped and returned it to Henry.

Henry was not legally permitted to ride it, but the jury has heard no evidence about whether or not he knew the moped had been stolen.

Officer A was part of a team of seven officers. This has now morphed into Operation Attrition, an ongoing operation with Camden, which has 50 dedicated officers.