Sergeant's train death could have been prevented

The death of a police sergeant struck by a train could have been prevented if the control room had not delayed ing Network Rail, a coroner has said.

Married father of two Graham Saville had been trying to help a vulnerable man when he was hit by the high-speed train, and died in hospital five days later.

His inquest heard he and two colleagues approached the railway line in Nottinghamshire after the control room repeatedly and falsely said it was ing Network Rail.

Coroner Laurinda Bower said if Network Rail had been ed sooner, it could have put a "caution" on the line - meaning trains would have slowed down and the collision would not have occurred.

Sgt Saville was struck at 19:08 BST on 24 August 2023 - only 20 seconds after the call to Network Rail was eventually made.

Sgt Saville's family said the inquest had "unfortunately revealed some shocking and disturbing information".

"The inquest has identified deficiencies in so many areas, which, had they been in place and followed, could have prevented this tragedy occurring," they said in a statement.

However, they said the inquest had also shown them that Sgt Saville and his colleagues were "focused on protecting and serving", and it was "important to shine a light on this aspect".

"Many hundreds of officers across the country fulfil this duty day in and day out and this is never acknowledged," the statement added.

The inquest heard Sgt Saville, a response officer, had been deployed following a 999 call about a man referred to at the inquest as Patient C.

Patient C had a history of suicide attempts and had called the ambulance service at 18:47 saying he had left his house, was heading towards the railway line in Balderton, and intended to walk in front of a train because he was "not able to do this any more".

The inquest heard the correct procedure should have been for the police control room to Network Rail before Patient C even reached the railway line.

However, this did not happen.

When the coroner asked dispatcher Jack Richardson why there was a delay, he said he thought Network Rail did not need to be ed unless someone had entered a railway.

The coroner also asked Mr Richardson why he falsely told the officers that Network Rail had been ed, but he could not provide an answer.

The inquest also heard that the control room called Network Rail on an incorrect number, which was an emergency line for the public, rather than the one police were meant to use.

18:47 – Patient C made 999 call to East Midlands Ambulance Service.

19:01:19 – PC Olivia Stockdale confirmed she and colleague PC Ben Powell had sight of Patient C, sitting in Hollowdyke Lane.

19:03:57 – PC Stockdale said over the radio that Patient C was stood next to a gate which leads on to the trainline and asked for British Transport Police (BTP) to be made aware. The control room responded: "Yeah, we'll get on to Network Rail."

19:07:08 – Sgt Saville arrived and walked towards the other two officers.

19:07:25 – PC Stockdale asked over radio: "Sorry to be a pain, did we make BTP aware":[]}