An inquest has heard that a 'hard-working' and 'popular' university graduate who drove at speeds of up to 70mph during a police pursuit shortly before his car crashed into a pub 'made a terrible decision and paid for it with his life'.
William Place, 23, known as Will, died when his white Dacia Sandero ploughed into the White Lion in Heywood at 'high speed' in the early hours of July 1, 2024. The car became 'embedded' within the building, and a fire broke out underneath it, which spread to the vehicle. Part of the building at the junction of York Street and Rochdale Road also collapsed on top of it.
Police pursuit and discontinuation
An inquest into Will's death got underway at Rochdale Coroner's Court on Monday, September 14. A jury hearing the inquest was told a police van began pursuing Will's car after he passed them and went through a red light. However, the pursuit was 'discontinued' shortly before the fatal collision, the hearing was told.
The family has concerns over the 'conduct' of the police involved in the pursuit, the 'dangerous nature' of it, and 'how it was undertaken generally', as well as over 'lack of dashcam and body-worn video footage' from it and the 'differences between the recall of events given by various witnesses', the hearing was told.
Events leading to the crash
Introducing the case to the jury, Assistant Coroner Lisa Judge said that on June 30, 2024, Will had been out watching England play Slovakia in the Euros, where she said he was reported to have drunk 'four to five pints' of Stella. At around 11pm, friend Alicia Clayton, whom he had met up with in The Woolpack pub in Heywood, drove Will's car to Rochdale town centre, where the pair visited Empire and Ko Ko Lounge, the hearing was told. He is said to have consumed three further 'mixed drinks' at the bars.
At the end of the night, Ms Clayton said he told her he 'intended to take an Uber home,' and that was the reason she gave him back his keys, as they also contained his house keys, the hearing was told. However, CCTV captured Will getting into his vehicle at 3:04am before driving off.
Police officers in a marked van then 'saw his vehicle pass directly in front of them and drive through a red light', the hearing was told. As a result of that, the officers activated their lights and sirens and attempted to stop him, Ms Judge said. He 'failed to stop' and a police pursuit began, the inquest was told.
During the pursuit, he was reported to have been travelling at 'speeds of up to 70mph on roads subject to a 30mph speed limit', Ms Judge said. She said at 3:12am, police special operations advised that 'no tactical options were available' and the pursuing officers were instructed to 'discontinue' the pursuit. The officers in the police van 'complied', turned off their emergency equipment, turned the vehicle around and began travelling in the opposite direction, the coroner said.
Fatal collision and tributes
Will 'continued along the road at speed' towards the White Lion and 'lost control of his vehicle' before his car hit the front of the building and came to rest inside. Police arrived at the scene 70 seconds later; however, the fire 'prevented effective intervention,' the coroner said. Part of the pub's upper floor then collapsed onto the vehicle. At 4:08am, emergency services were able to gain access, with paramedics declaring his death.
A series of pieces of footage showing the actions of Will's car and the police van in the lead-up to the collision, as well as the aftermath, was played to the jury. Several members of Will's family, including his mother, Beverley Place, briefly left the courtroom whilst it was played.
Paying tribute to him in the witness box, Mrs Place said, "He wasn't just my son, he was my best friend." She said he was a 'hard-working, compassionate, fiercely loving, dependable, and huge fun' person who 'had a zest for life.' He was a churchgoer and acted as a mentor for kids who had been in care, making a 'huge difference' to their lives, and 'never once brought trouble to our door,' his mother said.
She said he was a sports fanatic, including being a Manchester City season ticket holder, and had graduated with a degree in multimedia sports journalism just a few months before his death. She said he was a 'loving family man' and a 'positive male role model.' "I miss my boy with every fibre of my being, every single moment, of every single day," she added. She said she wanted to thank the officers who arrived on scene following the collision 'for all their efforts.'
Will's auntie Lauren Sullivan said the events of the night he died 'should not be the reason Will is remembered.' She said he 'made a terrible decision that night and paid for it with his life.' She said he 'should be remembered as the dedicated, loyal, committed, hard-working young man he was.'
Police officer's account
PC Sarah Hardman, who was driving the pursuing Transit police van, accompanied by a colleague, said the Dacia was travelling 'at speed' when she first saw it and that it 'shot past me'. She said the driver was 'driving recklessly' and that she 'had a duty to at least attempt to stop that vehicle' as there was 'nothing to say that the manner of the driving wouldn't have continued if I hadn't attempted to stop it.'
She said she activated her emergency equipment and began following his vehicle, but that she did not deem it to be a pursuit at that point as she wanted to give the driver 'ample opportunity' to become aware of her presence and stop. She said it was when he failed to stop that she deemed it to be a pursuit and informed the control room 'I have got a vehicle making off.'
Asked by Elinor Watts, representing the family, why she didn't seek authorisation before formally commencing the pursuit, she said: "I have just seen this car, out of nowhere. The pursuit has been spontaneous. There has not been a lot of time. It was not suitable to ask for authorisation before I started it." She said if there are no 'tactical options' to stop a vehicle, a pursuit cannot carry on, and she was instructed to 'discontinue' by the control room for this reason.
Asked by the coroner if the 'red mist descended' at any point during the pursuit, PC Hardman replied: "I don't believe so, no." When asked if she believed the pursuit ever became 'disproportionate to the reason it being undertaken', PC Hardman replied: "In my mind, no." Asked why she didn't turn on her body-worn camera, she said: "My focus was on my driving, the comms, I didn't think it was suitable to start fidgeting with my body-worn video." Adding: "At the time, it was one of the last things I was thinking of."
PC Hardman said she responded following the crash and helped 'get the attention' of the occupants of the pub before taping off the area. The inquest, expected to last around four days, continues.
