Royal crash death outrider criticised by expert

Helen Holland, 81, was struck at a junction in Earl's Court in May 2023

A police motorcyclist who fatally injured a pensioner while escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh was "not driving to the expected standard", a court has heard.

Metropolitan Police officer PC Christopher Harrison, 68, was part of a royal escort team for the duchess when he hit 81-year-old Helen Holland on a pedestrian crossing in Earl's Court, west London, on 10 May 2023. Mrs Holland died in hospital two weeks later.

PC Harrison was allegedly travelling at between 44mph and 58mph as he approached the traffic light for the crossing on West Cromwell Road, which had a 30mph speed limit, the Old Bailey heard.

He denies causing death by careless driving.

Johnathan Moody, Lancashire Police's deputy chief training instructor, who was called in by the Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog to look into the incident, said: "It is not what I would expect a competent rider to do."

Mr Moody, who looked at interviews, transcripts and body-worn footage, told the court: "Generally for the 15 minutes of the escort, most of the junctions and hazards were dealt with as I would expect.

"Unfortunately, for the final feature, the red light, I would have expected a working bike to have stopped for that feature."

He said "the majority" of the escort "was done as I would expect of a competent rider" trained to the appropriate levels except "the last few seconds at that crossing".

PC Harrison was part of a team of convoy motorcycle outriders escorting Sophie as she left the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in King Charles Street just after 15:00 BST.

Such riders are legally allowed in certain circumstances to exceed the speed limit, pass red lights and drive on the wrong side of the road - but using these exemptions must be done safely and with minimal risk to the public, the court heard.

The two escort motorcycles ahead of PC Harrison had gone through the crossing by the time he arrived at the scene, the jury was told. The previous rider passed at 15:20 just as the light turned red.

PC Harrison could have acted differently with the information the light had turned red, according to Mr Moody.

Skull fracture

He said: "The final sole motorcycle working bike, I would have expected him to have controlled that crossing by stopping at the red light."

On whether PC Harrison was slowing down, Mr Moody said: "From the footage I have seen, it did not appear so, but it is difficult to work out speed."

Mrs Holland suffered a skull fracture, bruising to her arms, legs and body, as well as fractures to her lower legs.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as complications from a severe head injury.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC previously told the court: "Mrs Holland was entitled to be crossing then, Mr Harrison knew that the light for traffic, for him, was red, and so he should have taken care when driving through the red light.

"But he did not stop and he did not see Mrs Holland, which is why he drove straight into her.

"He should have seen 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 trial continues.