Parents of Liam Albert who died in car crash criticise police investigation
Liam Albert died of injuries sustained when he crashed a stolen car in 2009 after leading police on a 118mph chase through London.
Monday 6 November 2017 21:59, UK
The parents of a teenager who died after a car chase with police in 2009 say they have been left furious after misconduct charges were dropped.
Liam Albert was 17 when he died after leading police on a 118mph car chase through Merton, southwest London, and into Surrey, where he crashed a stolen car into another vehicle.
Two police officers, Inspector Mandy Chamberlain and PC John Wills, were due to face a misconduct hearing over allegations evidence had been deleted from mobile phones or removed from the scene without permission.
However, the after it was ruled it had been too long since proceedings opened for the officers to answer the allegations against them.
Liam's parents, Sharla John and Delroy Albert, have now accused the Metropolitan Police of wasting time, and also criticised the decision to allow the officer driving the police car to retire.
In a statement, they said their son's death "and the truth" were "always less important than self-preservation".
They said the hearing would have been an opportunity for the Met Police "to explain their conduct during and after the fatal collision" and that the force had declined to "explain what really went wrong" at "every step of this process".
Ms John and Mr Albert said they also hold the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) responsible for some of the delays.
They said they knew their son "should never have been in the car" and that they "had never sought to suggest otherwise".
"Although entitled to, we have not sought compensation," they said. "This has simply been an eight-year search for the truth. Last week was supposed to be the culmination of that search.
"The manner in which this complaint was handled leaves us wondering if this was total incompetence or an intended outcome. Now we shall now never know the truth and feel totally let down by the MPS and the IPCC."
The Metropolitan Police repeated its initial comment to Sky News following the couple's statement.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin said: "It would be impossible for the two officers to have a fair hearing given the long history and circumstances of this case.
"Delays to the IPCC investigation were not within the control of the Met."
IPCC Commissioner Cindy Butts said the watchdog had apologised to Mr Albert's family and recognised that they felt "badly let down".
She said: "While our investigation was completed within two years, we recognise that, at eight years, this process has taken far too long.
"This case has a long and involved procedural history and we very much regret our part in any delay."
Ms Butts added: "Since this investigation concluded, the IPCC has undergone a substantial change programme and has made significant improvements in the way we work to prevent similar delays occurring."