Family release video of moment police motorcyclist fatally knocks over great-grandmother as he escorted Duchess of Edinburgh as they launch legal action

This is the moment a police officer fatally knocked over the Duchess of Edinburgh’s great-grandmother as she escorted her to Windsor ‘for tea’. His family have now announced that they are taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police.

Relatives of 81-year-old Helen Holland insist the officer’s acquittal proves the justice system treats officers differently and claim they are devastated by the verdict.

Helen died in hospital two weeks after she was shot at a pedestrian crossing in Earl’s Court in May 2023 as the royal motorcade headed west London.

Last week, a jury at the Old Bailey found PC Christopher Harrison not guilty of causing death by careless driving and returned its verdict within two hours.

The decision sparked immediate outrage in the public gallery, where someone shouted: ‘You’ve destroyed our family with no consequences.’

Family members left the court in tears, believing that responsibility had been absolved. Helen’s brother Chris Holmes and granddaughter Kelly Williams previously told ITV News that the decision put the blame on Helen, even though it came against a green man.

Chris said: ‘If the police officer is not guilty of careless driving then he is guilty of careless walking. I feel there is a terrible injustice.’

Kelly described the result as a ‘two-tiered justice system’. ‘The police are above the law.’

He warned the public to be more careful when crossing the street legally, adding: ‘More people will die at the hands of the police because they may jaywalk, kill a pedestrian when they have the right of way.’

Helen died in hospital two weeks after she was shot at a pedestrian crossing in Earl’s Court in May 2023 as the royal motorcade headed west London.

The family of grandmother Helen Holland, whose motorcyclist who was accompanying the Duchess of Edinburgh after she ran a red light was killed by police, say they are suing the Metropolitan Police to prove she “did nothing wrong”

During the trial, jurors heard the experienced escort driver was speeding between 44 mph and 58 mph in a 30 mph zone as he approached the controlled crossing showing red for traffic.

He told the court that Helen had ‘just appeared’ before him; This is a claim his family denies.

Other witnesses described it as a devastating blow, with one of them telling the court the pensioner fell to the ground ‘like a baby’ after being thrown into the air.

Helen, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, had just set out from her sister’s house moments earlier to return to Essex when she was attacked.

He was about three meters from the main road when the bike hit him. The court heard the convoy had already been warned that the lights had turned red but PC Harrison passed by around 18 seconds later.

Although escort officers were allowed to run red lights and exceed speed limits, prosecutors said they ‘still had a duty to drive carefully’. The road has since been reduced to a 20 mph limit.

PC Harrison, a Met escort driver for more than two decades, became emotional as he gave evidence and told the jury: ‘As soon as I saw Miss Holland I braked. It was right in front of me; ‘It just came out of nowhere.’ It was later understood that his motorcycle had no faults.

Outside the court after the not guilty verdict, Helen’s son Martin said: ‘Public want to be very careful when jaywalking because the police could kill them.’

The Met issued a statement saying its ‘thoughts and sympathies’ remained with the family and stressed it was ‘deeply sorry’.

Helen Holland’s (81) sister Dorothy, 88, died after being hit by a motorbike accompanying the Duchess of Edinburgh on the West Cromwell Road.

Mr Harrison, of Billericay, Essex, became emotional as he gave evidence this week, recalling the moment he bumped into Miss Holland at Earl’s Court in 2023.

Relatives of 81-year-old Helen Holland insist the acquittal proves the justice system treats officers differently and claim they are devastated by the verdict

Commander Adam Slonecki said changes were being made to improve warnings, including fitting megaphones to motorcycles.

The police watchdog said PC Harrison could still face a gross misconduct hearing.

But Helen’s relatives say this is not enough and plan to sue the Met. Martin told The Times the family’s fight was not about money but about accountability: ‘We’re not at all interested in compensation; It’s about proving my mom didn’t do anything wrong.

‘He never takes risks. ‘Certainly crossing the road was one of the biggest risks that mattered to him.’