Man sees wife killed in police crash

A man saw his wife killed and his son seriously injured when a police car ploughed into their Ford Focus.

The woman's husband, who was following in another car, watched the police four-by-four hit the driver's side of the family car.

Initial reports suggested the marked police car, a powerful Mitsubishi Shogun, went through the red light without using its siren or flashing lights.

The officers were escorting an arrested man to a police station following a disturbance at Gatwick airport and were not thought to be answering an emergency call at the time.

One officer at the scene, who asked not to be named, said: "The police were apparently putting their foot down because the prisoner had started kicking off in the back and they wanted to get him to the cells as quickly as possible. They went through the lights and the woman's car was hit amidships. She didn't stand a chance."

The crash happened on Saturday morning at traffic lights on a roundabout on the A23 near the airport. The woman, who has not been named, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 12-year-old son suffered serious arm injuries and was taken to the East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.

The woman is understood to have lived locally and worked at the Civil Aviation Authority which has its headquarters nearby. Her husband was test driving a BMW following immediately behind, accompanied by a car salesman.

Both police officers involved in the crash escaped without injury as did the prisoner who was later released on bail.

Sussex Police have referred the incident to the police complaints commission.