Police Blamed For Woman's Death

- 23 September 2008;BBC news

The family of a woman killed in an accident with a police car on a 999 call has won a civil case for negligence against Kent Police.

A judge at Canterbury County Court ruled Pc William Purse was "100% at fault" in the crash which killed 29-year-old mother Rachel Cheesewright.

Barmaid Miss Cheesewright died on 22 October 2005 on the A28 near Ashford.

Kent Police, which now faces a claim for compensation from her family, said it was considering the judgment.

Pc Purse, with another police officer as a passenger, was travelling along the A28 towards Bethersden at 100mph in response to a 999 call seconds before the crash happened.

Miss Cheesewright, from Ashford, was returning home from her job at the Bonny Cravat pub in Woodchurch.

Accidental death

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) carried out an initial investigation but decided no further action should be taken.

It then managed an investigation into the accident carried out by Kent Police.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to take no action against Pc Purse and an inquest jury in January returned a verdict of accidental death.

But Miss Cheesewright's family launched a civil action against the force, heard over two days in July.

Delivering his judgment on Tuesday, Judge Jonathan Simpkiss said Pc Purse was negligent because his siren was not switched on and his speed was excessive.

Kent Police was refused leave to appeal.

After the judgment the family's solicitor Sarah Harman said it meant that Miss Cheesewright's daughter Charlotte, who was eight when she died, would be taken care of financially.

"But there are wider lessons from this case, which are that the police cannot drive at excessive speeds on country roads and ignore the interests of other road users," she said.

"This case isn't just important for this family - it is important for police practices."

The Cheesewright family said they were pleased with the result of the case.

"Rachel was a wonderful mother, a fantastic daughter and she was very lively, with loads of friends," said her mother Marsha.

Kent Police said in a statement it was considering the judgment and could not make any further comment at this time.

"Kent Police's thoughts continue to be with Ms Cheesewright's family and everyone who was involved, including the police officers who were answering an emergency call when the collision occurred," it said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7631561.stm