Police crash pursuit was 'proper'

Police said it was a reminder that reckless driver could have tragic and fatal consequences

A report by a watchdog into a head-on crash on the M4 in which four people were unlawfully killed has found police properly followed procedures.

One of the cars in the crash was being pursued by police before it headed the wrong way onto the motorway.

But an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)found both the pursuing officers and control room staff acted properly.

Gwent Police welcomed the verdicts returned by the inquest jury.

IPCC investigators said Gwent officers, who were pursuing the Ford Mondeo driven by 18-year-old Christopher Beresford, stopped as soon as it drove the wrong way onto the M4 near Newport.

The police driver reversed away from the slip road so that those in the speeding car could see they were there and the Mondeo had opportunities to stop of the slipway and the hard shoulder of the motorway, the IPCC found.

We found that officers and control room staff acted properly and in accordance with their training IPCC Commissioner Tom Davies

The inquest jury heard how the Mondeo passed 12 oncoming cars, reaching speeds in excess of 100mph, before it collided with the car driven by James and Bridget Stafford from Surrey between junctions 24 and 25.

Two men in Mr Beresford's car died alongside him, while a fourth survived the crash.

IPCC commissioner for Wales, Tom Davies, said the actions of the police driver in showing the occupants of the speeding car they were no longer being pursued gave the speeding driver the chance to stop going the wrong way and the opportunity to turn around.

"This gave the driver of the Mondeo and the other occupants the chance to stop their journey in the wrong direction on the eastbound carriageway," said Mr Davies.

"James and Bridget Stafford were not afforded that opportunity as they rounded a bend and were confronted with an oncoming vehicle."

The speed of the Mondeo was 81mph at point of impact

On-board footage from the pursuing police car was examined by investigators. It showed the entire pursuit along the A48 to the point where the speeding Mondeo car went onto the M4.

Static motorway cameras charted the route of the Mondeo along the motorway until it collided with the Volvo in which James and Bridget Stafford, returning from a holiday, were travelling.

The images reveal that:

• The Mondeo drove along the A48 at speeds exceeding 100mph until it came to the Coldra roundabout near the Celtic Manor resort, Newport.

• It passed four possible exit routes on the roundabout until it turned left onto the M4 off ramp and carried on along the motorway the wrong way for just over a minute at an average speed of 86mph.

• The Mondeo was travelling at 81mph when it hit the Volvo.

• The Stafford's Volvo was travelling at around 78mph at the point of impact.

• Neither vehicle braked before impact suggesting the drivers did not see each other until it was too late.

The IPCC report showed the speeding Mondeo was "consistently well in front of the police vehicle".

When the Mondeo drove onto the motorway a request was made to the traffic control room to put a warning on motorway signs for other drivers, but there was not time for any warnings to appear.

The report was given to the Gwent Coroner in December 2007.

"Our investigators examined the accident, the events leading to the pursuit and force policies and procedures.

We found that officers and control room staff acted properly and in accordance with their training," said Mr Davies.

After the inquest, Gwent Police issued a statement saying "the findings by the coroner mirror those of the IPCC independent investigation into the incident which found no fault with the actions of the officers and staff involved".

"The death of a loved one is a terrible loss in any circumstance. When that loss is the result of an unnecessary collision it seems somehow worse," the statement said.

"We hope that this tragic event serves as a reminder that driving in a reckless manner can have tragic and fatal consequences."