The devastated family of a grandmother killed by a Metropolitan Police motorcyclist escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh through London has announced plans to sue the force after the officer was acquitted of causing her death.
A Fatal Collision and Its Aftermath
Helen Holland, 81, from Birchanger, Essex, died two weeks after being struck by PC Christopher Harrison's motorcycle at a pedestrian crossing on West Cromwell Road in west London. The incident occurred on 10 May 2023 while she was visiting her sister in the city.
Evidence presented in court revealed PC Harrison was travelling between 44mph and 58mph in a 30mph zone as he approached the crossing. The green man signal was illuminated, indicating it was safe for pedestrians to cross, when the collision occurred.
Ms Holland was 2.9 metres onto the crossing when the police motorcycle hit her. She suffered catastrophic injuries including a skull fracture, multiple fractures to her lower legs, and extensive bruising to her arms, legs and body. A post-mortem examination concluded she died from complications arising from a severe head injury.
Court Proceedings and Family Outcry
At the Old Bailey trial, PC Harrison - an experienced officer with 21 years in the specialist escort group who had served as the main outrider at Queen Elizabeth's funeral - described the incident as a "tragic accident" in circumstances he had "no control over".
Under cross-examination, he acknowledged he had forgotten to switch on his body-worn camera and did not use his whistle as he approached the pedestrian crossing, but insisted he had not been complacent during his duties that day.
After nearly two and a half hours of deliberation, a jury found PC Harrison not guilty of causing death by careless driving on Thursday. Following the verdict, one of Ms Holland's ten grandchildren shouted from the public gallery: "You ruined our family with no consequences."
Civil Action and Broader Impact
The family has now revealed their intention to pursue civil action against the Metropolitan Police. Martin Holland, Ms Holland's 59-year-old son, described his mother as the "heart" and "glue" of their family and emphasised their motivation is accountability, not financial compensation.
"We are suing them just to make sure it's recognised," he told the Sunday Times. "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."
The tragedy has had lasting effects on the family. Ms Holland's 91-year-old sister, Dorothy Phillips, who attended every day of the trial, has become too frightened to cross roads despite pedestrian signals. "Now nobody can go across any green crossing with any security at all," she said. "I won't. I'm too frightened to even cross the road."
PC Harrison still faces potential disciplinary proceedings after a 12-month Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation found sufficient evidence indicating he may have breached police standards of professional behaviour.
In a statement released after the trial, Commander Adam Slonecki said the Met are "deeply sorry" and had implemented safety improvements including fitting bullhorns to escort motorcycles to supplement officers' whistles when approaching pedestrians.
