No charges against police officer following teenage cyclist's death

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has ruled that a police officer who killed a cyclist while responding to an emergency call will not face prosecution or disciplinary proceedings. Khaleel Rheman, aged 16, from East Ham, died after being hit by a police car as he rode a friend’s bike across a pelican crossing at 1230am on 30 May 2009.

In its report, the IPCC, noting that an inquest had found that Khaleel’s death was due to an accident, said that the driver of the police car, who was not named, had not broken the law or and rules regarding misconduct.

The accident took place while the traffic lights at the crossing in Ron Leighton Way, Stratford, were green, it added, with the police car travelling at 55mph with flashing blue lights but no siren.

Khaleel, was cycling along Pilgrims Way on his friend's bike, just ahead of his cousin and two other friends, and rode out onto the crossing when the pedestrian signal was red and, in the words of the IPCC in a statement on its website, “collided with the police car.”

After the crash, officers stopped to administer first aid to Khaleel and paramedics were called, but the teenager died at the scene from inuries to his head and neck.

IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne of the IPCC commented: "This investigation showed that the police driver was responding proportionally to an emergency call.

"He had activated his blue lights but not his siren, which is in line with police policy and he has fully explained his thought process behind this decision.

"Ultimately, the sad fact is that if Khaleel had used the crossing correctly, he would be alive today.

"That must be a difficult thing for his family and friends to come to terms with and my thoughts are with them."