When the not-guilty verdict was read out at the Old Bailey on Thursday, one of Helen Holland’s ten grandchildren shouted from the public gallery: “You ruined our family with no consequences.”
Holland, 81, had been crossing the road, with the green man signal showing, in Earl’s Court, west London, when she was killed by a police motorbike outrider accompanying the car of Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
Last week Christopher Harrison, who was travelling at between 44mph and 58mph as he approached the red light and had a clear view for about 240 metres beforehand, was cleared of causing death by careless driving.
Harrison, now 68, told the jury that Holland had “just appeared, between the kerb line and the point of collision. At no point did I see her on the island”.
Helen Holland with one of her eight great-grandchildren
NIGEL HOWARD
For Holland’s large, close family, the verdict was an agony. She was a mother of four, a grandmother of ten and a great-grandmother of eight, described by her son Martin as the “hub”, “heart” and “glue” of their family.
Martin, 59, said: “That’s the reason the grandchildren are taking it so badly, because they would see her every single Sunday, she’d do a bit of food for them, go for a beer down the road in the local village. She kept the whole family together.”
They have decided to sue the Metropolitan Police, not because they want any money, but because they want an acknowledgement that Holland — who taught her children to always wait for the green man before crossing — “did nothing wrong”.
Martin said: “We are suing them just to make sure it’s recognised. We’re not in the slightest bit interested in compensation — it’s about proving that mum did nothing wrong. She would never take a risk. Certainly crossing a road was one of the big risks that was important to her. She knew how to cross a road.”
Harrison, of Billericay, Essex, who joined the Met in 1982, had been part of its special escort group for VIPs for 21 years. The court was told that he is proud to have been the main outrider in front of the hearse at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.
Christopher Harrison leads a line of outriders at Windsor for the Queen’s funeral
MOLLY DARLINGTON
On the day of the collision — May 10, 2023 — the duchess had attended a briefing at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. She is thought to have been en route to evensong at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. She was escorted across London in a convoy of two cars and four motorcycle outriders, of which Harrison was one.
Met escort riders are allowed to go through red lights and break the speed limit if it is deemed necessary and safe.
Holland, from Birchanger, Essex, was hit at the pedestrian crossing on the West Cromwell Road in southwest London at 3.20pm, five minutes after leaving the flat of her sister, Dorothy Phillips, to return home.
Phillips, 91, attended every day of the four-day court case last week and has found it difficult to cross the road ever since. “Now nobody can go across any green crossing with any security at all. I won’t. I’m too frightened to even cross the road,” she said.
Helen Holland, left, with her sister Dorothy Phillips
Michelle Heeley KC, for the prosecution, told the Old Bailey on Monday: “Mrs Holland was entitled to be crossing then. He should have seen her. He should have expected there to be pedestrians and thus modified his driving somehow, but he didn’t.”
During cross-examination, Harrison denied Heeley’s suggestion he “made a mistake” that day. “A tragic accident occurred in a set of circumstances that I had no control over,” he told the jury.
Heeley replied: “You did have control over it. You could have chosen to stop your bike and properly control that crossing,” to which Harrison replied, “Yes.” Heeley then said: “And you didn’t did you?”, to which he replied: “No I didn’t.”
Harrison accepted he forgot to switch on his bodyworn camera and did not use his whistle as he approached, but insisted he had not been complacent that day.
Bodycam footage published with the family’s permission shows the moment just before Harrison hit Holland, circled
IOPC
The scene later that day — it began to rain after the crash
JAMIE LORRIMAN
Since Holland’s death escort riders have had bullhorns “fitted to their motorcycles to ensure public safety”, the Met said after Harrison was cleared.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will now push for Harrison to face disciplinary proceedings. Amanda Rowe, director of the IOPC, said: “At the end of our 12-month investigation we determined there was sufficient evidence to indicate he may have breached the police standards of professional behaviour in relation to his manner of riding. The officer had also failed to activate his body-worn video camera prior to the escort, in breach of Special Escort Group policy.
“He, therefore, had a case to answer for gross misconduct and we will now liaise with the force about disciplinary proceedings.” Gross misconduct hearings have three outcomes: final written warning, reduction in rank and sacking.
After the accident, the duchess sent the family a “lovely” handwritten letter expressing her condolences.
Phillips wrote a letter to the Queen the day after Helen died in hospital, a fortnight after the crash, asking her to to “try to make things safer”. In reply, the Queen’s private secretary expressed the King and Queen’s “deepest condolences”. The family bear no ill will towards the royal family, with Phillips describing her sister as a “tremendous supporter of the royalty” who “adored the police”.
She said their mother lived to 100 and the family thought Helen had another 20 years of life ahead of her. Her funeral was attended by hundreds, with villagers lining the road.
Chris Holmes, Dorothy Phillips and Mark Holland, respectively Helen Holland’s brother, sister and son
NIGEL HOWARD
Speaking after the case, Commander Adam Slonecki said the Met are “deeply sorry”, adding: “While nothing we can say or do can make up for this loss, we have worked to safeguard against future tragedies regardless of today’s outcome.
“Escort riders now have bullhorns fitted to their motorcycles to ensure public safety. They use these in addition to their whistles to warn people they are approaching. We will now consider any misconduct matters for PC Harrison as soon as possible.”
A year before Holland died, her youngest son, Mark, now 55, had a near-fatal stroke and was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system. He was given a year to live and moved in with his mother so she could look after him.
He now lives on his own. “She was my best mate. She was everything,” Mark said.