Met Royal Escort Rider Cleared Over Earl's Court Fatality
Pedestrian Helen Holland killed while crossing near Warwick Avenue
Helen Holland. Picture: Family handout
November 13, 2025
A Metropolitan Police officer has been found not guilty of causing death by careless driving following a fatal collision in Earl’s Court that claimed the life of 81-year-old Helen Holland.
PC Christopher Harrison, 68, was acquitted by a jury at the Old Bailey after a two-and-a-half-year legal process. The incident occurred on 10 May 2023, when PC Harrison, serving with the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, was riding a police motorcycle as part of an official escort. He collided with Mrs Holland at a pedestrian crossing on West Cromwell Road.
Emergency services responded swiftly, and Mrs Holland was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Despite medical intervention, she died two weeks later.
The case drew national attention not only because of the tragic circumstances but also due to the high-profile nature of the officer’s role. PC Harrison was part of a convoy escorting a senior royal at the time of the incident. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation, and the Crown Prosecution Service later brought charges of causing death by careless driving.
In court, the jury heard that PC Harrison had been travelling ahead of the main convoy to secure junctions and manage traffic. The defence argued that he had used his whistle to alert pedestrians and was operating within the parameters of his training and duties. The prosecution contended that more could have been done to avoid the collision.
A4 Cromwell Road at the junction with Warwick Road. Picture: Google Streetview
Following the verdict, Commander Adam Slonecki of the Met’s Specialist Operations expressed condolences to Mrs Holland’s family. “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Mrs Holland’s family, and we are deeply sorry for their loss in these circumstances,” he said. “While nothing we can say or do can make up for this loss, we have worked to safeguard against future tragedies regardless of today’s outcome.”
Commander Slonecki confirmed that all escort motorcycles are now fitted with bullhorns in addition to whistles to improve pedestrian awareness. He also acknowledged the toll the lengthy legal process had taken on both the officer and the family. “We have been lobbying for quicker and fairer accountability processes to lessen the impact on all involved,” he said.
The Met will now consider whether any internal misconduct proceedings are necessary.
Helen Holland’s death prompted wider public discussion about the safety of police convoys and the visibility of escort riders in busy urban environments. Her family previously described her as a “kind and loving” mother and grandmother who had been visiting London from Essex at the time of the incident.
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |