The chief constable of South Wales Police has defended the force's police and crime commissioner’s claim that two teens who died in an e-bike crash in Ely in Cardiff were not chased by officers. Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, died following a crash in Ely shortly after being followed by officers from South Wales Police.
Their deaths sparked riots in the area that saw 27 arrests made. But force commissioner Alun Michael denied that officers had been chasing the boys prior to their deaths.
“I was assured and I am still assured that the youths were not being chased by the police at the time of the road traffic accident,” Mr Michael told BBC Radio Wales at the time. On Wednesday, July 12, chief constable Jeremy Vaughan told a group of Welsh MPs sitting in the Welsh Affairs Committee in Westminster that Mr Michael had been “hoping to help” when he made the remarks.
Asked whether the commissioner had the appropriate knowledge of the incident at the point he agreed to the interview, Mr Vaughan said “he did receive a briefing” and was told the teens “were not being chased by the police at the time of the road traffic accident”. The force later admitted officers had followed the boys after doorbell camera CCTV footage was posted to social media sites.
Stephen Crabb, Welsh Affairs Committee chairman, asked Mr Vaughan why Mr Michael gave a version of events which “may subsequently look not to be true”, to which Mr Vaughan said he was “stuck with not being able to comment on actual events and what took place in terms of specifics” due to ongoing investigations.
"The police and crime commissioner was hoping to help in dealing with what was a riot and of course had the potential to become an escalation of riots over an extended period,” Mr Vaughan said.
Mr Vaughan said the force was “working really hard” on helping the people of Ely “recover” from the incident. The Welsh Government has announced a new "Community Plan" for Caerau and Ely following the riots in May. The plan includes an offer of £100,000 to Cardiff Council and work with a group of residents. You can read more on that here.
