Kimberley Cameron: Jogger's police car crash death to be reinvestigated

Kimberley Cameron was out jogging when she was hit by a police car responding to a crash in a nearby village

The police watchdog is to reinvestigate the death of a woman hit by a police car while jogging after finding its original probe was "flawed".

Kimberley Cameron, 27, died on the A41 Bicester Road in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in April 2021.

An inquest jury concluded her death was the result of a road traffic collision.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was responding to "significant new information" revealed during the inquest.

Her parents Kevin and Liane Cameron welcomed the news and said they "always believed that the first IOPC investigation was fundamentally flawed".

The marked police car was travelling on the A41 Bicester Road in Aylesbury on its way to a "serious" crash in Waddesdon

Ms Cameron had been out jogging in the early evening of 16 April 2021 when she was struck by a marked police vehicle, under blue lights and with its sirens on.

It was driven by a Thames Valley Police officer responding to reports of a serious traffic collision in a nearby village.

In a letter to Ms Cameron's family, seen by the BBC, IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: "Whilst I accept the officer was using lights and sirens, he was creating significant danger by exceeding the speed limit whilst driving on the wrong side of the road.

"The original investigation was flawed in a manner which had a material impact on subsequent decisions on discipline, performance and/or referral to the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service)."

The original IOPC investigation delivered in February 2022 found the officer had acted in "accordance with the relevant policies and procedures".

It now says that significant new information provided by a police driving trainer during the inquest gave evidence that strongly suggested the officer should have slowed considerably given he did not have a clear view of the crossing.

'New evidence'

Ms Palmer said: "The evidence provided by the police driving trainer at the inquest had not been requested as part of our investigation.

"We believe there is a real possibility that this new evidence - had it been sought during our investigation - would have led wholly or partly to different decisions regarding discipline, performance, and/or whether or not the matter should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service."

The inquest heard that in the 2.2 seconds before the crash the police car was travelling at an average speed of 62 mph (99 km/h) in a 40mph (64km/h) zone.

A crash investigator said Ms Cameron had been waiting for at least four seconds at the crossing's push-button lights.

The inquest delivered a narrative conclusion, stating the police car was travelling under emergency conditions, and the visibility between Ms Cameron and the police car was impeded by other vehicles just before the collision.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police, said: "We are aware of the update from the Independent Office for Police Conduct in relation to their re-investigation into the death of Kimberley Cameron.

"At this stage it would not be appropriate for us to comment further on the investigation being conducted by the IOPC.

"Our thoughts remain with the family of Ms Cameron."