An officer hasn't driven a police car since the day he hit a great-grandad.
An inquest held into the death of William "Duncan" Horne heard how the Merseyside Police driver had just performed a U-turn with its lights flashing.
The driver of the police car was responding after the onboard ANPR recognised an uninsured van. The police driver then began to accelerate, with his blue lights switched off, so as to keep visual contact with the van but not to alert the driver that he was being followed.
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At the same time, Mr Horne, a retired financial advisor from Bebington, Wirral, was following his customary morning routine of going to his local newsagent's. He used the pelican crossing on Spital Road, close to the Three Stags pub junction. The inquest heard there was a build-up of traffic at the location because roadworks were being carried out, and he was unable to spot the accelerating police car - which was travelling at over 40mph in a 30mph zone - until it was too late.
One driver told the inquest he had "screamed in his car as he saw the incident happening." The jury were told Mr Horne "stepped from behind the line of parked cars and there was insufficient distance for the police vehicle to stop before the accident."
The inquest heard that the police car driver was "highly qualified and experienced" but had not been able to drive a police vehicle since the tragic incident on January 8, 2020.
A post mortem revealed that Mr Horne died of multiple injuries sustained as a result of a road traffic collision. Senior coroner Andre Rebello informed the jury this was the only conclusion they could reach in his summing-up at the end of the inquest today (Wednesday).
The summing-up was attended by members of Mr Horne's family, including his widow Susan.
At the time of the tragedy in January 2020, daughter Lisa Anderson told the ECHO: "My dad was 84 and, although recently he had some minor health problems, until only a few months ago he had been a very fit man for his age, playing short tennis several times a week at his local sports centre.
"He was a very social man and his family was everything to him, he enjoyed nothing better than spending time with his family and close friends. He was a husband, father, grandfather and a great grandfather to a very loving, close family.
"He has been with our mum Sue since he was a teenager and they were due to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary early this year. My mum is absolutely heartbroken as are we all."
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