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No charges against police officer following teenage cyclist's death

IPCC finds that oficer broke no law or disciplinary code while responding to 999 call

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has ruled that a police officer who killed a cyclist while responding to an emergency call will not face prosecution or disciplinary proceedings. Khaleel Rheman, aged 16, from East Ham, died after being hit by a police car as he rode a friend’s bike across a pelican crossing at 1230am on 30 May 2009.

In its report, the IPCC, noting that an inquest had found that Khaleel’s death was due to an accident, said that the driver of the police car, who was not named, had not broken the law or and rules regarding misconduct.

The accident took place while the traffic lights at the crossing in Ron Leighton Way, Stratford, were green, it added, with the police car travelling at 55mph with flashing blue lights but no siren.

Khaleel, was cycling along Pilgrims Way on his friend's bike, just ahead of his cousin and two other friends, and rode out onto the crossing when the pedestrian signal was red and, in the words of the IPCC in a statement on its website, “collided with the police car.”

After the crash, officers stopped to administer first aid to Khaleel and paramedics were called, but the teenager died at the scene from inuries to his head and neck.

IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne of the IPCC commented: "This investigation showed that the police driver was responding proportionally to an emergency call.

"He had activated his blue lights but not his siren, which is in line with police policy and he has fully explained his thought process behind this decision.

"Ultimately, the sad fact is that if Khaleel had used the crossing correctly, he would be alive today.

"That must be a difficult thing for his family and friends to come to terms with and my thoughts are with them."
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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jezzzer | 13 years ago
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er, i have sympathy for the family of the kid, but surely the reason they weren't using the siren is that it was after midnight in (i guess) a residential area. seems a fair outcome to me. kid shoulda looked.

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Fish_n_Chips | 13 years ago
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Why don't they make sirens to be used all the time?

Yes he should have crossed when crossing allowed but like the poster above -if he been blind he still would have been killed.

Police need to use sirens.

I feel sorry the teen's family and also the policeman-must not be easy to live with the fact you have killed a youngster.

I doubt the HMP will have any money to improve police sirens or crossing computers.

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timlennon | 13 years ago
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Someone may be more sure of this, but it's my understanding that Met officers are never prosecuted for the people they kill 'in pursuit of their duty'.

I guess if Khaleel had been blind, he still wouldn't have been using the crossing properly ...

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