Two police officers have been served with misconduct notices after the death of a 17-year-old girl who fled a police car and was killed by a vehicle on the M5 in Somerset, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said.
Tamzin Hall had been handcuffed with her hands in front of her and was sitting in the back of the car with an officer as she was being taken in to custody on the night of 11 November when the driver pulled over for “safety reasons”, the IOPC said.
The IOPC said the investigation would look at whether Tamzin still had the handcuffs on when she was killed.
Tamzin fled the stationary marked police car on the northbound carriageway and died after being hit by a car on the southbound carriageway.
The IOPC said investigators had taken witness accounts and gathered CCTV and body-worn camera footage.
It said the officers had been served with misconduct notices “for a potential breach of their duties and responsibilities,”. Such notices advise officers that their conduct is under investigation but do not necessarily lead to disciplinary proceedings, which depends on the outcome of the investigation, it added.
The IOPC’s regional director, David Ford, said: “My thoughts and sympathies remain with Tamzin’s family and friends, and everyone affected by the tragic events of that evening. We have met with Tamzin’s family to offer our condolences and to outline how our investigation will progress. We will provide them with regular updates as our inquiries continue.
“Our investigation is in the early stages and we are working hard to establish the exact circumstances of what took place, from the time of Tamzin’s arrest to how events unfolded a short time later on the M5.”
On Wednesday, Tamzin’s mother, Amy Hall, paid tribute to “the most kindest, caring, loving, loyal girl ever”.
She revealed that her daughter, a student from Wellington, Somerset, had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which she said meant she was “unique and saw the world in such a different way”.
Describing Tamzin as her “best friend”, Hall said: “She was the most honest person I’ve ever known; she was very special to me. She had a great sense of humour and we had many laughs together. She was such an intelligent young girl and had such interesting perceptions on things in life.”
A jury will hear Tamzin’s inquest because she died in police custody.
