Girl who died on M5 after escaping police ‘was failed’, mum says | UK News

A mother has said the authorities “failed” her daughter, who died after fleeing a police vehicle despite being handcuffed and having an officer sitting beside her.

Tamzin Hall, 17, from Wellington in Somerset, sustained fatal injuries when she was struck by a car on the M5, between Taunton and Bridgwater shortly after 23:00 GMT on 11 November.

Her mother Amy Hall said: “Tamzin was desperately failed. She never got the right help, she never got listened to.”

Avon and Somerset Police said it had referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and could not speculate on their findings.

The IOPC said Tamzin was handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle, with an officer alongside her, when it pulled over for “safety reasons”.

Ms Hall said Tamzin should have been transported in a van rather than a car, due to her high-risk behaviour.

“My question is – how did she manage to get out of the handcuffs and out of the car with two police officers?” Ms Hall added.

Ms Hall said Tamzin was beautiful and caring, with a great sense of humour.

“She was chocolate-mad. She liked cooking, tried all sort of things. She had a love of birds as well,” Ms Hall added.

When Tamzin was eight years old, her father died from cancer.

“That was really difficult for the children,” Ms Hall said.

“Tamzin would be sent out of class, she found it overwhelming and got very anxious. They didn’t know that at the time so it just looked like bad behaviour.”

Eventually her behaviour escalated and Ms Hall said she knew she needed help.

She said because Tamzin had siblings and her behaviour was affecting them, Tamzin was “taken away” from her and sent to a care home.

“It went wrong from there,” Ms Hall said.

“You think of children that go into care because there’s problems at home, but Tamzin came from a loving family home and she was well loved and looked after.

“Then suddenly she was taken away from me and you have to trust the people to look after her.”

However, Ms Hall said care was “not the right way”.

“It was completely the wrong environment for her.

“She missed home, she missed me. She used to say: ‘I know why I can’t be at home. My behaviour is scary sometimes for the other children’.

“It was such a difficult situation to be in as a parent. But the professional side of things – that’s what she needed and that’s what she never got.”

Ms Hall said Tamzin had been acting “very strange” on the day she died.

“I sent numerous messages to staff that day, saying I have real concerns but I felt they were ignored.

“She got agitated, she’d been drinking. She wanted to go out and she wasn’t allowed to go out, that’s all I know.

“Did they always need to call the police? I wasn’t there but sometimes I think the way they handled talking to her would make a situation worse.”

Tamzin’s support workers called police, who were going to transport her to custody in Bridgwater from her care home in Taunton at about 22:40 GMT.

When the car pulled over on the northbound side of the M5, Tamzin managed to get out and flee across the motorway, where she died after being hit by a car travelling on the southbound carriageway.

“Tamzin was known to the police. She was extremely impulsive. You always had to take her safety into consideration,” Ms Hall said.

The IOPC said it has served both officers with misconduct notices for a “potential breach of their duties and responsibilities”.

Ms Hall said she will “never get over” her daughter’s death.

“It’s the most awful thing. I’ve got other children so I keep going for my children. But sometimes you just want to collapse in a heap and give up.

“It’s silly things like: ‘I must tell Tamzin this’. When she turns 21, I think – I’m not going to see that. Would she ever have gotten married?

“I’m still trying to learn to live with it and not having any answers makes me angry.”

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement that its thoughts “remain with Tamzin Hall’s family”.

“It’s clear how loved she was and how much she is dearly missed by those who knew her,” the statement continued.

“We are committed to being open and transparent about what happened and we have said from the outset that we will do whatever we can to assist the IOPC’s enquiries.

“We are also mindful of the welfare of our officers who were at the scene at the time of Tamzin’s death. We are ensuring their welfare is considered and they receive the necessary support during the course of this investigation.”

A spokesperson on behalf of Somerset Council, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and young people’s care charity Homes2Inspire – organisations involved in Tamzin’s care – said: “Our thoughts remain with Amy, Tamzin’s family, and all those affected by this devastating incident.

“We are supporting the IOPC investigation into the circumstances leading up to Tamzin’s tragic death and do not want to prejudice this process by commenting further at this time.”