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Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sergeant hit by train after officers were 'mislead'
A police officer was struck by a train after "misleading" information was given to officers trying to help a vulnerable man on a railway line, an inquest has heard. Sgt Graham Saville was hit after he was deployed to the railway line near Newark, Nottinghamshire, on 24 August 2023. He survived the impact but died in hospital five days later, a hearing at Nottingham's Council House was told. On Wednesday, the inquest heard officers at the scene were informed Network Rail would be contacted to stop the train, but the call was delayed by five minutes before Sgt Saville was struck. The hearing was told two officers attending the call with Sgt Saville repeatedly told the police dispatcher that the distressed man, referred to in court as Patient C, was near the railway line and had threatened to walk in front of a train. No contact was made with Network Rail to stop the train until 20 seconds before Sgt Saville was struck at 19:08 BST, coroner Laurinda Bower said. Ms Bower said the two officers were told the police control room was "on to" National Rail and had them "ready to go in case" Patient C went on to the tracks, but "the phone had not been picked up". Jack Richardson, who was working as a Nottinghamshire Police dispatcher for the Newark area that evening, told the court the call to stop trains on the line "should have been made sooner". The coroner asked him if the reassurances given to the officers were "misleading", to which the witness replied: "It could be interpreted that way by the officers, yes". Ms Bower said to Mr Richardson: "It seems to me that there was a five minute delay in seeking to make contact with Network Rail, between officers saying he is looking like he [Patient C] is going to go on to the line... then five minutes lapsing before anyone picks up the phone to get on to Network Rail. "It limits the time Network Rail has got to take any effective action." The witness said: "I was not aware that we should be calling Network Rail prior to that. It was my understanding that a call should be made when someone enters a rail network." Mr Richardson agreed it was "obvious" that it would take more than a few seconds to stop a train moving at a speed of up to 125mph. He added: "That call should have been made sooner. Given the new training that's been brought in, Network Rail should be advised, informed, as soon as there is a first mention of someone heading towards the railway network." The inquest had previously heard Patient C had called East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) to say he had overdosed on caffeine and he was was walking towards the railway line, near Hollowdyke Lane in Balderton, with the intention of harming himself. The hearing had been told Patient C had a history of "fighting with police" and Sgt Saville had attended because he was trained to use a Taser. The hearing continues. Additional reporting by Dan Martin If you have been affected by the contents of the article, support is available through the BBC Action Line website. Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Train hit officer just before 'stay off' line order Officer hit by train after being called to help man HM Courts and Tribunals Service
The Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Sergeant struck by train two seconds after order to stay off tracks
A police sergeant was struck by a train while trying to help a distressed man two seconds after an order was given for officers to stay off the tracks, an inquest has heard. Nottingham Coroner's Court heard that two trains, which could have been travelling up to 120mph, were coming from both directions before Graham Saville, 46, was fatally injured on the line in Balderton, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, on August 24 2023. The inquest was told that Sgt Saville, who was based at Newark Police Station, was responding to a concerns about a man, referred to in court as Patient C, who had called emergency services that evening saying he had taken an overdose. The court heard that an order telling the officers to stay off the line was made by the control room 20 minutes after the first call was made about Patient C going towards the railway line. But the order was made 'far too late' for officers to get off the track, the inquest heard. Nottinghamshire coroner Laurinda Bower also told the inquest that there was no successful communication from the police control room to Network Rail asking them to stop the trains until 20 seconds before Sgt Saville was struck. Police constable Liv Stockdale, who was on duty alongside Sgt Saville and Pc Ben Powell at the time of the incident, gave evidence to the inquest on Tuesday. Ms Bower said to Pc Stockdale: 'You say, over the radio waves, Patient C is currently stood next to a gate which will lead to a train line. Control room say 'will get on to Network Rail'. 'We can see from the body worn footage at 19.06 hours Patient C starts to climb onto the gate. At 19.07 hours your colleague Sergeant Graham Saville turns on his body worn camera.' The court heard that Pc Stockdale repeatedly asked the control room to contact Network Rail for the trains to be stopped and said Patient C was 'running down' to the tracks. The coroner asked: 'Were you reassured by that communication that there was contact with Network Rail to get an urgent stop on the line?' The witness replied: 'From what I remember, yes.' The court heard that there was 'very little time' between Sgt Saville arriving at the scene and him instructing Pc Powell to go over the fence, which he did, followed by Sgt Saville and Pc Stockdale. Pc Stockdale told the inquest: 'When we went down onto the trackside it was more to keep an eye on Patient C because he was running further away from where we were initially stood.' Ms Bower said: 'At 19.08 hours you put another call out over the radio saying you can see a train in both directions coming. In fairness to you this is a matter of seconds, about 15 seconds, before sadly Graham is struck.' The inquest heard that the trains travel at around 120 mph and can cover 55 metres per second, which the coroner described as 'incredibly fast, blink of an eye stuff'. The inquest heard there was an instruction made over the radio at 7.08pm that 'all officers are to stay off the tracks', but this was two seconds before Sgt Saville was hit. Pc Stockdale said: 'From being down on the trackside, the signal was very intermittent. We were unsure what was actually getting passed to the control room at the time.' Sgt Saville's Taser record suggests the trigger was pressed at around the same time that Pc Stockdale said she could see the trains coming. The inquest heard that Sgt Saville's life support was withdrawn five days after he was injured. The sergeant's wife, Joanne Saville, read a pen portrait to the inquest, in which she called her husband a 'fantastic' father-of-two and a compassionate 'big softy' who was also 'logical, measured, and calm under pressure'. She added: 'These qualities made him an excellent police officer but also a great person to have in your life. 'Graham never thought of himself as being brave or a hero. He was a policeman who just got on with what needed to be done. 'He loved this job and the challenges he faced every day. We are immensely proud of everything he's done.' The inquest continues.
