Train hit officer just before 'stay off' line order

A police sergeant was hit by a train while trying to help a distressed man two seconds after an order was given for officers to stay off the tracks, an inquest has heard.

Sgt Graham Saville was struck after he was deployed to the railway line near Newark, Nottinghamshire, on 24 August 2023.

He survived the impact but died in hospital five days later, a hearing at Nottingham's Council House was told.

On Tuesday, the hearing was told Sgt Saville and two colleagues followed the man on to the tracks having radioed in to Nottinghamshire Police's control room to request trains were halted.

One of the officers, PC Liv Stockdale, told the inquest she attended the scene with Sgt Saville and PC Ben Powell after reports a man, known as Patient C, had taken an overdose of caffeine and was heading towards the train tracks and was feeling suicidal.

The inquest was told PC Stockdale and PC Powell attended the scene and saw Patient C in Main Street, Balderton, at 18:58 BST.

She said she and PC Powell tried to engage with the man, who had called 999 to say he was going to walk in front of a train, but he walked up to an embankment and climbed a locked gate leading to the track.

The court heard Sgt Saville, a 46-year-old father of two, had been deployed separately because he was trained to use a Taser.

PC Stockdale said she had contacted the police control room a number of times asking for Network Rail to request to stop trains on the line.

The court heard a control room officer informed her a colleague was "on it" at 19:07 when Patient C climbed the gate and started to run down the railway line.

She told the court Sgt Saville ordered that all three of them follow Patient C when she again radioed in to request an urgent stop on the line.

The inquest was told there was a call from Nottinghamshire Police to Network Rail to get an urgent stop on trains at 19:08 and 23 seconds.

PC Stockdale said Patient C had shouted to say two trains were approaching - one from each direction.

Coroner Laurinda Bower said an order was issued from the police control room by a chief inspector for officers not to go on the track at 19:08 and 43 seconds - two seconds before Sgt Saville was struck.

Ms Bower said the order had been issued "far too late" for the officers to get off the tracks and 20 minutes after they told the control room Patient C was heading towards the track.

The court heard the LNER trains on that line could travel at 55m per second.

PC Stockdale said she did not recall having a conversation with her colleagues about anyone being a "lookout" as they followed Patient C on to the tracks.

She said her radio signal, by the tracks, was intermittent, and there was noise from the wind and the oncoming trains preventing her from hearing.

She said: "From being down on the trackside, the signal was very intermittent. We were unsure what was actually getting passed to the control room at the time."

PC Powell said there was "no chance" he would have heard the order to stay off the line had it come earlier.

The inquest was also told Sgt Saville discharged his Taser at about the moment he was struck by the train.

Statements from other officers read Patient C had a history of getting drunk and fighting with police.

PC Tom Mead said he had nearly been pulled off a bridge over the A1 dealing with Patient C previously.

He said it had taken eight officers to restrain Patient C.

He said he was dealing with another incident at the time but added he had a "horrible feeling" when he heard, on the radio, colleagues were looking for Patient C by the rail tracks.

The court heard Sgt Saville had discharged his Taser at about the same time he was struck by the train.

British Transport Police's Det Insp Ian Wright led the investigation into Sgt Saville's death.

He told the inquest a call from Nottinghamshire Police's control room to Network Rail to get the trains stopped had gone to the wrong number.

He said it should have been made to a signal box in Doncaster but was made to a company that handled calls from the public to report hazards on the lines.

He said that had led to a "huge delay" on informing Network Rail people were on the line.

Ms Bower asked Det Insp Wright if he thought giving Network Rail more time to slow or stop the trains would have given Sgt Saville more time to take evasive action.

"Yes," Det Insp Wright said.

Earlier, Sgt Saville's wife, Joanne Saville, read a pen portrait to the inquest, in which she called her husband a "fantastic" father-of-two and a compassionate "big softy" who was also "logical, measured, and calm under pressure".

She added: "These qualities made him an excellent police officer but also a great person to have in your life.

"Graham never thought of himself as being brave or a hero. He was a policeman who just got on with what needed to be done.

"He loved this job and the challenges he faced every day. We are immensely proud of everything he's done."

The hearing continues.

Additional reporting by PA Media

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