UK watchdog probes if police were chasing crash car

Britain’s police watchdog has confirmed it is investigating whether the car which crashed into a Cork family — killing a 16-month-old boy and an unborn baby and seriously injuring their parents — was being chased by police at the time.

Oisin Twomey and his unborn sister Elber Marie died last Friday after the Volkswagen Golf in which they were travelling with their parents, Con and Elber, from Meelin, was struck by a Vauxhall Vectra being driven by a taxi driver, who also died in the crash.

Devon and Cornwall police initially said the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was called in because the collision was “witnessed by a police officer”.

The IPCC last night said that following its own assessment of the circumstances of the crash, it had decided to “independently investigate police actions and decisions before the collision, including whether or not an officer was in pursuit of a black Vauxhall Vectra”.

The statement from IPCC does give credence to reports that the car’s driver may have been suicidal.

It said the police had been called at about 2.10pm on the day of the crash with concerns for a Polish man who had driven off in his taxi.

“This report was treated by police as a high-risk missing person because of concerns for him,” it said. “At about 2.45pm, the Polish man’s car was seen on the A380 Hamelin Way, Torquay, by a police officer in a marked police vehicle.

“The Vectra crashed into an oncoming VW Golf occupied by the Twomey family from Cork, Ireland, who were holidaying in Torquay.”

The IPCC will now look to establish exactly what happened between the sighting of Vectra and the impact itself, whether the Vectra was being chased, and whether, as has been reported, the Vectra deliberately veered into the path of the Twomeys’ car.

IPCC commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: “This is a tragedy for the family and friends of those who died and also those still in hospital. The IPCC will be using its own investigators to establish what happened and is appealing for members of the public who may have witnessed anything to get in touch with our investigation.”

The IPCC said that it had contacted the families of all those involved in the crash to outline the nature of its investigation.

Con, 39, and Elber, 36, Twomey remain in critical condition in Derriford Hospital.