Police officers cleared over crash death

Jul 4 2007 By Mark Cowan, Birmingham Mail

TRAFFIC police have been cleared of any link to the death of a teenager killed when the car he was in crashed into a shop while being followed by police.

Kye Lawrence suffered fatal injuries in the smash in Great Hampton Street, Hockley, in November 2005.

A police patrol was following the black Nissan Primera when the driver lost control of the car and crashed into a lamppost and derelict shops.

But an investigation by independent police watchdogs today concluded that the officers "acted in accordance with their professional duties".

The Independent Police Complaints Commission took control of the inquiry following the crash in the early hours of November 22 to examine the actions taken by the police prior to the crash.

The officers had first spotted the Primera as it sped along the A41 past West Bromwich Albion's Hawthorns ground with another car.

The vehicles split up and the officers continued to follow the Primera which crashed off the road. Mr Lawrence, aged 19, from Highgate, died at the scene.

IPCC Commissioner John Crawley said: "Our investigation clearly demonstrated that the police officers involved in this incident acted in a wholly appropriate manner and in no way contributed to the untimely death of Kye Lawrence.

"The available CCTV footage quite clearly showed there was a delay between the time of the collision and the arrival of the police vehicle at the scene, meaning the police vehicle was not present at the point that the Nissan Primera collided with the lamppost."

Mikael Henry, 20, of Alcester Road, Moseley, who was driving the Primera, later admitted causing the death of Mr Lawrence by dangerous driving.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Henry admitted having smoked cannabis before the accident. He was sent to a young offenders' institution for three years.