Police apologise after officers joke about musician's son's death

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 11:08 · Archive

Essex Police has apologised after officers were captured on body-worn camera joking about the death of Paul Hardcastle's son.

Essex Police has apologised after three female constables were captured on body-worn camera joking about the death of Paul Jr, 35, the son of musician Paul Hardcastle, who topped the charts in 1985 with the song '19'. Paul Jr died on 12 January when his motorcycle collided with a van near Ongar, Essex, whilst being pursued by police officers.

The three officers were dispatched following the crash and were not involved in the pursuit itself. Body-worn footage uncovered by the police watchdog the IOPC in June showed them joking about Paul Jr's death. One officer laughed whilst asking colleagues if it was the wrong time to reveal that Paul Jr had previously complained about her failure to properly investigate a road rage incident that left his vehicle with £750 of damage. A transcript indicates one replied she could 'consider that closed', adding 'every cloud'.

Hardcastle said he had taken some comfort from the fact the pursuing officer tried her utmost to save his son's life. However, he told The Times he was 'just completely stunned' when shown the body-worn footage. 'It was the constant laughing and sniggering. There was no respect,' he said. The IOPC investigation, which was triggered automatically by the death, found that officers had behaved properly in the pursuit.

How it is being reported

• Police forced to apologise after officers captured on body-worn camera joking about death of Paul Hardcastle's sonPaul Jr, 35, was being pursued by police when his motorcycle collided with a van near Ongar, Essex, and he died on January 12 of this year.Daily Mail · 23 Oct, 10:45
• Police officers joked about death of Paul Hardcastle’s son in crashPaul Hardcastle, who is best known for his anti-war hit ‘19’, received an apology from Essex PoliceThe Independent · 23 Oct, 10:29

In this story: Paul Hardcastle · Paul Jr · Essex Police · Ongar · IOPC

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