Police officer tells Coroner’s court ‘I thought I was going to die’ after collision at sea

A police officer described on Wednesday how he feared for his life after the RGP vessel he had been assigned to despite no marine training became involved in a high-speed nighttime chase that ended in a fatal collision in which two Spanish men died.

The Coroner’s court was hearing evidence from the third police officer on the vessel as 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 an RGP vessel.

The court has been examining various aspects of the pursuit and the fatal collision and had previously heard that the coxswain, known as Officer 1, believed the chase took place within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.

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

In previous evidence, the court had also heard that at least three officers were needed to man the police vessel.

On Wednesday, Officer 3 took to the stand and explained he was on an overtime shift that night and when he attended New Mole House police station he was assigned to the marine section as they needed to make up numbers to man the vessel.

He had previously worked on road policing and had no experience at sea, the court heard.

He told the court he had attended the marine base once before as a “show and tell” to understand the section but had received no training and had no knowledge of standard operating procedures.

That night, the officer said, he was guided by his two colleagues at marine base.

“They even showed me how to put my lifejacket on,” he said. All three officers have been granted anonymity by the court and have provided witness evidence from behind a screen.

Officer 3 said at one point he was informed they had to deploy the vessel, and he was given a large torch and was advised to point it at the RHIB once the chase commenced.

His job was to turn the torch on and off during the pursuit in the hope the flashing light would distract the coxswain of the RHIB.

“I wasn’t given any marine duties other than to shine a light out,” he said.

He said he was also not responsible for radio communications as this was left to the two officers “in charge of the boat”.

The officer was asked if he knew how the vessel operated, including the navigational systems such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which broadcasts a vessels navigational data.

He responded: “I don’t know how anything worked on the boat.”

He added that he also did not speak Spanish so he could not understand the conversations the coxswain was having over the mobile phone with the Guardia Civil, which had provided information about the suspect RHIB, and that this information was not relayed to him.

He was also questioned whether he knew where the police vessel was, to which he described how he has astigmatism but was not wearing his glasses.

“I didn’t know where we were,” he said.

He added: “It was my first time on a boat at nighttime.”

The officer told the court he also did not know where BGTW started and ended.

He said this was his first time in a police pursuit at sea and he found it “very disorientating” as the vessel was travelling in “sharp U-turns” and “S-shaped bends”, while moving side to side behind the RHIB.

“I didn’t question because I didn’t know any different,” he said.

The officer added that he felt safe on the police vessel during the chase as he put his faith in his colleagues.

“When the actual collision happened, I didn’t know it was a collision,” he said.

He described a “huge wave”, water coming into the right window and he felt like he was “going to die”.

“I had only seen this in films,” he said.

The officer said the vessel then turned upright and in that moment he thought the “boat had anti-roll technology”, though he now understands it was due to the collision.

He said there was a moment of silence and then shouting, adding that they were all in shock.

The officer said he could not understand conversations between his two colleagues as they were speaking in Spanish.

FURTHER EVIDENCE

Retired Police Sergeant Stewart Stone also gave evidence on Wednesday in his role as crown sergeant on shift that night.

Sgt Stone confirmed he had answered a phone call from the coxswain at around 4am where he was informed of a collision, a fatality and a second person seriously injured.

He said the coxswain asked him if he should call the Police Federation for advice, to which he had responded to focus on returning to land.

When asked by lawyers, Sgt Stone said he did not tell the coxswain to raise a mayday call as he was assisting on land.

Sgt Stone said after this first phone call he asked for instructions from a police inspector and called the coxswain.

Jurors were supplied with a transcript of the phone call, which the coxswain’s lawyer, Jamas Hodivala, KC, pointed out had no mention of the Police Federation.

He also pressed Sgt Stone on whether first aid could have been provided and if he would criticise the crew of Sir John Chapple for leaving the men on the RHIB.

He responded that chest compressions cannot be given due to the movement out at sea and that the risk assessment that the RHIB’s occupants could be armed was a “fair one”.

The jury also submitted questions for Sgt Stone, asking if he had received training for incidents like these.

Sgt Stone said he had not.

“This incident was a first for all of us,” Sgt Stone said.

Forensic Pathologist David Rouse, who had carried out a post-mortem on the bodies, also took to the witness stand.

Dr Rouse detailed his career experience which includes carrying out over 40,000 post-mortems since he began practising in 1988.

He described how Mr Ahmed had likely died on impact and Mr Mohamed sustained injuries that were “not survivable”.

“Even if it occurred outside a neurosurgery ward they still would not survive,” he said.

Two jurors were discharged on Wednesday morning, having provided the courts with doctor’s notes being too unwell to fulfil their jury service.

The inquest is being heard by Deputy Coroner Karl Tonna and a jury of seven women and two men.

Jamas Hodivala, KC, and Barnabas Branston represent the interests of two police officers.

Christopher Finch is acting on behalf of the families of the deceased.

Neil Costa represents the RGP and 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.