Police pursuit car ‘seconds behind’ at fatal crash site
The Police Ombudsman’s Office has said a police pursuit car was “a matter of seconds” behind a stolen car when it crashed, killing a young mum, in the Ballysillan area of north Belfast.
Police had initially claimed the ground pursuit had ended, leaving it to the PSNI helicopter to track the grey Audi A4 on Thursday morning.
The car crashed on the Ballysillan Road, killing young mother-of-two Lisa Gow who had been walking along the footpath on her way to a chemist to pick up a prescription.
A man – 39-year-old Martin Nelson, from Ardoyne Road – has already been remanded in custody after refusing to come up from the holding cell at Laganside Courthouse to enter the dock.
He faces a series of charges linked to the crash, including causing death by dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving while disqualified and without insurance, burglary, aggravated vehicle theft, and taking and driving a motor vehicle away.
In a statement on Friday evening, a spokesman for the Police Ombudsman’s Office said its investigators had established that police had been in pursuit of the stolen car.
“Video from the police helicopter and from within the lead police pursuit car clearly shows that, when the collision occurred, police were a matter of seconds behind the suspect vehicle,” the spokesman said.
“Our investigation is continuing and will consider issues such as how police dealt with this incident and the manner of police driving.”
PSNI Superintendent Melanie Jones said: “Whilst we initially reported that the police pursuit of the stolen vehicle had ended prior to the collision, as the investigation has progressed and following consultation with the Police Ombudsman, the full circumstances of the pursuit will be independently investigated by the Police Ombudsman.
“This will include whether or not the pursuit had ended at the time of the collision.”