Met Police motorcyclist escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh by London sped by purple gentle at 58mph and killed grandmother, courtroom hears

A Metropolitan Police motorcyclist sped through a red light and killed a grandmother while escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh through London, a court heard.

Christopher Harrison, 68, was riding his BMW motorcycle at 58mph in a motorcade for the royal when he struck 81-year-old Helen Holland in Earl’s Court on May 10, 2023.

The mother-of-four was seriously injured in the collision and died in hospital two weeks later on May 23, 2023. 

Witnesses said she was thrown into the air and looked ‘like a ragdoll’ in the road after being fatally injured. 

The convoy, which included PC Harrison left the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office shortly after 3pm.

Duchess Sophie was travelling in a car which was accompanied by a police backup vehicle and four motorbike outriders.

PC Harrison and the convoy largely followed communication protocol as they weaved through red lights and controlled traffic, the Old Bailey heard.

However when they reached West Cromwell Road in Earl’s Court, PC Harrison’s motorcycle collided with Ms Holland at a pedestrian crossing. 

The lead bike passed through the lights while they were green, but they turned red as the second bike passed. The rider of the second bike communicated this to the rest of the convoy. 

However 18 seconds later PC Harrison drove through the red light and hit Mrs Holland on the crossing.

PC Harrison was allegedly driving ‘somewhere between 44-58 mph’ at the time of the collision. West Cromwell Road had a speed limit of 30mph at the time.

PC Harrison was 178 metres away when the light turned red and he saw them change at least 10 seconds before he went through.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley, KC, said: ‘On 10 May 2023, Helen Holland was crossing the road on a pedestrian crossing.

‘The lights were on red for traffic, but this defendant drove through the red light and hit Mrs Holland. She died.

‘The prosecution say his driving was careless and he is guilty of causing death by careless driving.’

She said Harrison was a motorbike escort rider escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh.

‘He was one of a number of motorbike outriders that ensured the way was clear for the car that the Duchess was in to travel through London.

‘As a police escort motorbike, the defendant was allowed to do things other drivers can’t do, for example, he could exceed the speed limit, and he could go through red lights, but he still had a duty to other road users, including pedestrians, to make sure that his driving was careful.’

The majority of the outriders wore body-worn video, meaning the journey was largely fully recorded.

The convoy had a team leader, who rode directly in front of the escorted vehicle, while the other three motorbikes were called working bikes.

Ms Heeley continued: ‘It was their job to take control of any perceived hazards, and to facilitate a safe and secure progress for the convoy.

‘A hazard could be something like a junction, or a traffic light, it is better from a security point of view to keep the convoy moving, rather than having to stop and start.

‘The motorbikes should look out for danger and then provide cover. If they came to a pedestrian crossing and it was a green light, then they should check to see whether there are any pedestrians waiting to cross.

‘If it is clear, then the motorbike can confirm its safe for the convoy to drive through,’ said Ms Heeley.

‘But if the light is red for the convoy, or there are people who may be crossing then the job of the motorcyclist is to control the crossing, for example by placing one of the bikes across the crossing, communicating with the pedestrians, to ensure they don’t cross and the way is clear for the convoy.

‘The three outriders work in a leapfrog movement, one overtaking the other, passing information back to ensure that all people in the convoy know about what is coming up and what hazards they are about to encounter.’

All the motorcyclists were equipped with whistles to help to alert the public, while their bikes had blue lights on too.

‘The collision took place on West Cromwell Road, the lead bike turned onto West Cromwell Road, the convoy was following,’ Ms Heely continued.

‘There was a pedestrian crossing which was on green for the traffic as the first motorbike went through, the information that there was a crossing was made known to all of the motorcyclists, so they knew to look out for it.

‘The crossing had changed to red for the traffic, the second bike in the convoy went through and passed back the information that the lights had changed to red.

’18 seconds later, Mr Harrison drove through the red light, he collided with Mrs Holland who had been crossing at the pedestrian crossing.

‘Mrs Holland was entitled to be crossing then, Mr Harrison knew that the light for traffic, ie for him, was red, and so he should have taken care when driving through that 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.’

Mrs Holland was crossing from PC Harrison’s right to left, the lights were very clear for PC Harrison and he was informed they had turned red.

The court heard there was a structure to the right that may have impeded PC Harrison’s view.

Jurors were told that the view of the traffic lights was clear for PC Harrison for about 240 metres.

Ms Heeley said: ‘His speed as he approached the light was somewhere between 44-58 mph.

‘He was allowed to exceed the speed limit but he still had a duty to drive carefully.

‘The traffic lights turned red for Mr Harrison at least 10 seconds before he went through them, he was 178 metres away at the point they turned red.

‘Mrs Holland began to cross and was three metres into the carriageway when she was hit, so she had not just stepped off the kerb.’

The motorbike was analysed after the collision, and it was deemed there was nothing wrong with the bike.

PC Harrison accepted in interview that he did not see Mrs Holland and that she appeared from nowhere.

Ms Heeley added: ‘She didn’t appear from nowhere, ladies and gentlemen, she must have been at the side of the road before she crossed, and then she was three metres into the carriageway when she was hit.

‘He could see the pedestrian crossing up ahead, it was on red for him for at least 10 seconds, he had been told it was on red.

‘It was not unexpected that someone might cross at the pedestrian crossing and Mr Harrison should have kept a close lookout for pedestrians.

‘He should also have modified his speed, rather than approaching at more than double the speed limit.

‘He made no attempt to control the crossing and he collided with Mrs Holland.

‘The prosecution do not underestimate that Mr Harrison had a difficult job but he also had a responsibility to do that job properly and on this occasion, he did not do so.

‘He drove without due care and attention and as a result of that, Mrs Holland lost her life.

‘That is why the prosecution say you can be sure he is guilty of causing death by careless driving.’

Witness Helen Mott, who was visiting London from Bristol, was crossing on the road when said she heard ‘a sickening crash’ behind her.

She said: ‘I turned around and saw the broken body of a woman. My sense was that she was hit very hard and very fast.

‘I couldn’t see the woman’s face but my strong impression was she was not coming back.

‘I am sorry to say at this point my strong impression was she was like a ragdoll in the road.’

She added: ‘If the collision had been three seconds earlier, it would have been me in the road.’

Lance Corporal Ben Goodfellow was also part of the escort team, driving an Audi vehicle containing Sophie and one of her personal protection officers when the motorcycle ahead struck the victim.

He said: ‘I saw the woman in the centre of the road, Helen. Next, then I saw she was flying in the area. It all happened very quickly.

‘People (in the car) looked up and asked what was going on, I stated I wasn’t sure – because how do you explain what happened?’

The Met Police’s Special Escort Group provides armed escorts for Royal Family members, VIPs, protected members of the Government, visiting royals, heads of state and other visiting dignitaries.

Mrs Holland’s death is the first to be associated with the special escort group, although in 2019 riders with the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hit Irene Mayor, 83, who suffered a broken leg, pelvis and arm and a head injury. 

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said at the time: ‘The duchess’s heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the injured lady and her family.

‘She is grateful for the swift response by the emergency services and will keep abreast of developments. Further comment at this time would not be appropriate while the incident is being investigated.’

PC Harrison, of Billericay, Essex, denies causing death by careless driving.