‘You ruined our family with no consequences’: Family of grandmother killed by royal outrider to sue police
The grieving family of the grandmother killed by a motorcyclist accompanying the Duchess of Edinburgh in London said that they would file a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police after the duchess was acquitted.
Helen Holland, 81, died two weeks after she was blown up after being struck by a police officer at a pedestrian crossing on West Cromwell Road in west London on May 10, 2023.
PC Christopher Harrison, 68, was traveling at between 44mph and 58mph as he approached the crossing, despite the 30mph limit.
The jury found him not guilty Thursday of causing death by careless driving after deliberating for almost two and a half hours.
After the verdict was announced, one of Ms Holland’s ten grandchildren shouted from the public gallery at the Old Bailey: “You have devastated our family with no consequences.”
Now the family has announced that they plan to sue the police, not because they want money, but to admit that the grandmother “did nothing wrong.” The green man who hit him on his way home after visiting his sister was burned, signaling that it was safe to cross the road.
Ms Holland’s son Martin, 59, described her as the “heart” and “glue” of their family.
he said Sunday Times: “We’re suing them just to get that recognised. We’re not at all interested in compensation; it’s about proving my mother didn’t do anything wrong. She never takes risks. Crossing the road was definitely one of the biggest risks that was important to her. She knew how to cross the road.”
On the day of the incident, PC Harrison was among the team of convoy motorbike pioneers who escorted Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, as she left the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office on King Charles Street just after 3pm.
PC Harrison, who has 21 years’ experience in the specialist escort group, was the leading man at the front of the hearse at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.
He told the court he “couldn’t put into numbers” how many times he had made the journey and that he was “very familiar” with the route.
Ms Holland was 2.9 meters from the pedestrian crossing when PC Harrison’s motorbike hit her. He suffered a skull fracture, bruising to his arms, legs and body, as well as fractures to his lower legs.
The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was serious head trauma complications.
PC Harrison told jurors the collision was a “tragic accident” that occurred in circumstances “over which he had no control”.
Under cross-examination, he acknowledged that he had forgotten to turn on his body-worn camera and that he had not used his whistle as he approached the pedestrian crossing, but insisted that he had not been complacent that day.
“He was there, right in front of me,” he told jurors. “He just appeared between the curb line and the point of impact. I never saw him on the island, I’m sorry.”
Miss Holland’s 91-year-old sister, Dorothy Phillips, who attended the Old Bailey trial every day, was too frightened to cross the road after the tragedy.
“No one can now go through any green gate under any security measures,” he said. “I won’t. I’m too scared to even cross the road.”
PC Harrison is still likely to face disciplinary proceedings after a 12-month investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found there was sufficient evidence to suggest he may have breached police standards.
In a statement following the hearing, Commander Adam Slonecki said the Met was “deeply saddened”, adding: “While nothing we could say or do could make up for this loss, we have worked to protect against future tragedies, whatever the outcome today.”
“Escort drivers now mount megaphones on their motorbikes to ensure public safety. In addition to their whistles, they use these to warn people approaching. We will now consider any matters of abuse for PC Harrison as soon as possible.”
