Officer ‘drove straight into’ victim

A police motorcycle outrider drove “straight into” an 81-year-old woman who later died of her injuries, a court has heard.

Christopher Harrison, 67, was part of the royal escort team for the Duchess of Edinburgh when he hit Helen Holland as she crossed the West Cromwell Road in May 2023.

Mr Harrison, who denies causing death by dangerous driving, “should have seen her, should have expected there to be pedestrians” but “drove straight into her”, the prosecution told the Old Bailey.

Outriders are allowed to cross red lights and exceed speed limits, but Michelle Heeley KC said at the point of the collision Mr Harrison was driving carelessly.

Mr Harrison was in a team of four motorbike outriders escorting the Duchess and her convoy away from an event at the Foreign Office.

Security considerations mean VIP convoys do not generally stop, and it was the job of the outriders to keep the convoy moving, rather than having to stop and start.

The convoy was crossing traffic lights when they turned from green to red for traffic, and Ms Holland, from Birchanger in Essex, was crossing the road “as she was entitled to do”.

She was 3m into the crossing when Mr Harrison’s bike hit her, Ms Heeley said.

Ms Heeley said Mrs Holland started to cross the road “as was her right” when the light changed. For Mr Harrison, it was on red, “so he should have taken care when driving through”.

She added: “He did not stop and he did not see Mrs Holland, which is why he drove straight into her.

“He should have expected there to be pedestrians, and thus modified his driving somehow, but he didn’t, and that is why the prosecution say he was driving carelessly at that point.”

The journey was recorded by the officers who wore video cameras.

Showing the jury some of the footage, the prosecution claimed Mr Harrison was travelling at speeds between 44 and 54mph where the speed limit on the road was 30mph.

Ms Heeley said Mr Harrison in his escort role “was allowed to exceed the speed limit but still had a duty to drive carefully”.

In an interview after the crash, Mr Harrison accepted he did not see Mrs Holland, and “she appeared from nowhere,” the court heard.

Passer-by Diana Cetara saw the collision and told the court: “She was crossing, a motorbike hit her and then she flew away.”

What are outriders?

Outriders pave the way for a convoy to travel onwards safely by spotting and controlling any potential hazards, which could include junctions or traffic lights.

Three work in a leapfrog movement, one overtaking the other, passing information back to ensure those in the convoy know what is coming up and what hazards they are about to face, the jury was told.

The motorcyclists had whistles and blue lights to help alert the public.

Ms Heeley explained they should look out for danger and provide cover – if the light was red for the convoy at a pedestrian crossing or there were people who may be using it then “the job of the motorcyclist is to control the crossing”.

This could be done by placing one of the motorbikes across the crossing and communicating with the pedestrians to ensure they wait until the convoy has cleared.

The case, which is expected to last around a week, continues.