Inquest hears evidence on reality of high-speed pursuits 

A police marine instructor gave evidence on the risks of high-speed pursuits, procedures and use of navigational equipment on Thursday in the inquest examining the fatal collision at sea where two Spanish men died.  

The court heard evidence from PC Robert McKnight, a senior coxswain and instructor at the RGP, over a week into the inquest into the deaths at sea of Mohamed Abdeslam Ahmed, 40, and Mustafa Dris Mohamed, 49, from Ceuta, resumed on Wednesday. 

The two men sustained catastrophic injuries on March 8, 2020, when their rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) was involved in a collision with a Royal Gibraltar Police vessel. 

The court has previously heard that the coxswain on the night of the incident, known as Officer 1, believed the chase took place within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. 

He maintains that was his belief at the time of the chase but has since accepted evidence shows it took place in Spanish waters.  

Evidence has also found that equipment such as a chart plotter and Automatic Identification System (AIS), which broadcasts a vessels navigational data, was not switched on during the chase. 

PC McKnight, who gave evidence from the perspective of a seasoned coxswain, said the AIS is a requirement for senior managers to see where the RGP vessels are, adding that its introduction has been more recent and that law enforcement vessels in Spain do not use AIS. 

He said it was the “equivalent of the drug squad vehicle going around Gibraltar with a bus tracker” as AIS data is visible on shipping apps available to the public. 

He likened it to “a big ‘I’m here’ sign”. 

PC McKnight said the vessel Sir John Chapple is a cabined vessel meaning that the glass can distort depth perception and that glare can be an issue. 

He described how any light can cause a blinding effect on the Sir John Chapple, and the chart plotter was “too bright” at night. 

“I myself have switched off the chart plotter,” PC McKnight said. 

He was asked if he was aware that the chart plotter and AIS on the Sir John Chapple functioned together, and said his understanding was that the devices worked independently. 

PC McKnight said the use of the chart plotter was minimal, but that radar was useful as it had an overlay which delineated BGTW. 

When zoomed in, the radar would only show a red line if approaching the end of BGTW.  

The court had heard evidence that the radar was zoomed in to 0.75 miles on the night is question. 

He said if the radar was zoomed in and the vessel was well out of BGTW that the red line would not be visible. 

According to PC McKnight, the RGP has implemented new measures to inform coxswains if a vessel has strayed outside of BGTW. 

He said that there is now an audible alarm and red light. 

PC McKnight said that, when the alarm is sounded, it will send a message to a senior officer and this would be recorded. 

He explained that these new measures have been introduced after the incident at sea and, in 2020, there was no alarm system. 

Prior to this alarm system, PC McKnight said that if there was a “small incursion” he would not mention it to senior officers and sometimes Windmill Hill Signal Station would inform if police had veered out of BGTW. 

He said that, in the 1990s, the RGP would chase “all the way to Morocco”, but in the years since this had changed and, by 2020, the instructions were not to leave BGTW. 

PC McKnight said these instructions came as Gibraltar was sending “many complaints” to Madrid about Spanish incursions in BGTW. 

“We didn’t want them sending complaints to us,” he said. 

PC McKnight told the court about adrenaline and the disorienting nature of pursuits. 

He described how five minutes can feel like an hour during a chase at sea and coxswains can lose sight of their location. 

“Even if you have an idea [of the location], sometimes it’s completely off,” he said. 

When questioned whether he had begun pursuits well into Spanish waters, PC McKnight said he had not. 

PC McKnight said pursuits can be risky, and that officers gain experience while being mentored during chases at sea as replicating this in a training scenario would be “complicated and dangerous”. 

He told the court that coxswain certification is not lax and the RGP is not “giving it out like candy”. 

Responding to expert evidence delivered by marine consultant Richard Meikle earlier in this inquest, in which he said that the distance in the police pursuit was not safe, PC McKnight said he does not want to “sound disrespectful” but that this evidence was “totally wrong”. 

He said 99.9% of suspect vessels avoid apprehension when chased by the RGP. 

TENSE EXCHANGES 

There were tense exchanges between lawyers on a line of questioning by Christopher Finch, who represents the families of the deceased, regarding a log defender which was fitted onto the bow of the Sir John Chapple. 

In evidence, PC McKnight had described how the purpose of the log defender was to prevent debris striking the vessel and leaving it incapacitated. 

He said that this was particularly serious at sea as there have been occasions where a suspect vessel rams the police if they see a “sitting duck” police vessel in difficulty. 

PC McKnight added that it is a “misconception” that there is no floating debris in BGTW, describing that at some times during the year it is “almost like a minefield of rubbish” and that suspects also throw items at police vessels. 

He said the purpose of the bow protector is to stop debris striking the propellors and said it has a “blunt edge” with notches designed to grab objects. 

Mr Finch likened the bow protector to a serrated saw, pressing the witness whether this gave the RGP an advantage in ramming suspect vessels. 

Lawyers Jamas Hodivala, KC, and Neil Costa, who represent the coxswain of the Sir John Chapple and the RGP respectively, both objected to this line of questioning. 

Mr Hodivala rose and told the court there has been “no evidence whatsoever” of intentional ramming, adding that Mr Finch was on a “fishing expedition” and his question was “entirely irrelevant”. 

Mr Finch said this line was accepted “in the first inquest”, prompting Mr Costa to stand and tell the coroner this was “totally improper in front of the jury”. 

“We’re here for the truth,” Mr Finch told the court. 

Deputy Coroner Karl Tonna, who is hearing the case, said this line of questioning was “speculative” and “doesn’t serve any purpose”. 

STATEMENTS 

The court heard witness statements from HM Customs officers and a paramedic who attended to the injured men on the suspect RHIB. 

The statements detailed how Customs vessel HMC Seeker met the suspect RHIB and Sir John Chapple by Europa Point on that night to transfer the injured. 

According to the statements, CPR was offered to Mustafa Dris Mohamed who was unresponsive and an injured RHIB occupant had said the vessel had engine problems. 

The inquest is being heard by a jury of nine. 

Barnabas Branston represents the interests of a police crewman. 

Mr Costa was assisted by Louise Anne Turnock.  

The inquest is a fact-finding exercise that is not tasked with apportioning criminal or civil liability. 

The jurors, however, may make recommendations after hearing the evidence if they decide this is appropriate. 

The inquest continues.