by Tim ORourke
Chapter Twenty
WITNESS STATEMENT
Police Constable Richard Hart. 14th February 2003.
I am currently employed as a police constable at Cliff View Police Station, Blake Road, Cliff View, Cornwall. On Thursday the 13th February 2003, I was on duty and in company with Police Constable McDonald, Police Constable Woodland, and Police Constable Lee. About 22:00 hours, myself and the above mentioned officers started our nightshift. At 22:30 hours we were crewed in police vehicle Romeo 45, which is a marked police van. We left Cliff View Police Station and went on patrol for the evening. There had been a spate of burglaries on local farms, so we had been tasked by Sergeant Skrimshire to undertake high profile patrols in the surrounding area, to act as a deterrent, and to offer the public reassurance.
About 23:05 hours the same day, we were on patrol on the Buckmore Road, Cliff View, Cornwall. Constable Lee was driving. The road was dark as there is no street lighting along that particular stretch of road, and it was raining, so visibility was poor. I was sitting in the passenger seat next to Constable Lee, and Constables MacDonald and Woodland were both seated in the back. Suddenly Constable Lee swerved the vehicle away from the curb and braked sharply.
"I nearly hit that girl," I heard Constable Lee shout.
"What girl?" I said.
"There was a girl walking alongside the road. Didn't you see her?" Constable Lee asked me.
Once the vehicle had stopped, all four of us climbed out. It was then I saw a young girl standing beside the road in the dark. I walked towards her. I now know this female to be called Molly Smith. I would describe Molly as being about eighteen years old, and about five foot and four inches in height. She was of slim build, with long black hair and wearing a thin black dress. I noticed her feet were bare, which struck me as being odd, as the night was cold and it was raining. I recognised this girl to be part of a small family who had recently moved to the town of Cliff View. As I approached Smith, I could see that she was in a distressed state. She was crying and shaking uncontrollably.
"Are you okay?" I heard Constable McDonald ask her.
The girl made no reply, but just stood beside the road, with her hands covering her face while crying.
"What are you doing out here all alone?" I heard Constable Lee ask Smith.
"He hates me," I heard Smith reply through her sobs.
"Who hates you?" I asked Smith. I was confused as I couldn't see anyone else nearby and didn't know who she was referring to.
"Come with us and we will give you a lift home," PC Woodland said.
"No. I need to go and tell him I love him," Smith said.
I then saw Smith turn and run into the wooded area beside the road. At this time I lost sight of her. Constable Lee ran back to the police van and returned a short time later with two large dragon lights. He gave one of them to me and kept the other.
The four of us then made our way into the thick crop of trees beside the road in search of Smith. Even with the powerful dragon lights, it was dark inside the woods and we became easily disorientated. The ground was wet and slippery and made our progress slow as we made our way up the hill which leads to the Grayson farm. We must have been searching for Smith for at least ten minutes or more, when I heard a scream from the distance.
Together, me and my colleagues headed in the direction of the scream until we reached the crest of the hill where we found a well. I saw Constable Lee run to the side of the well and aim his dragon light down into it.
"The girl has fallen into the well," Constable Lee said.
Myself, Constable Woodland, and Constable MacDonald joined Constable Lee at the side of the well. I pointed my dragon light into it. At the bottom of the well, I could see Smith. She was lying on her back in a pool of water.
"Hey!" I shouted into the well, but Smith didn't move or stir.
"I think she might be dead," I heard Constable Lee say as he climbed up and onto the edge of the well.
"Get down from there," Constable MacDonald said to Constable Lee.
"I'm going to go down. She could still be alive. Call for help," Constable Lee said.
It was still raining at this time, and the edge of the well looked wet and slippery. I reached for my radio to call for help, when I heard Constable Lee shout. I looked up to see that he was no longer balanced on the edge of the well. I raced towards the well with Constables MacDonald and Woodland to discover that Constable Lee had fallen down into the well.
I heard Constable MacDonald shout into the well over and over again. He sounded panicked, as we all were. At this time, I contacted the control room by way of my personal radio and asked for immediate assistance. I felt powerless to help Constable Lee, who was now lying unconscious at the bottom of the well with Smith. Constable Woodland started to scream and kick the side of the well. Even though I had already contacted the control room, I heard Constable McDonald repeatedly shouting into the radio for help.
About 23:50 hours the same day, we were joined at the well by other members of the emergency services. I was taken to a nearby police vehicle and treated for shock. It was during this time I learnt that both Molly Smith and Constable Lee had died by falling into the well.
Police Constable Richard Hart.
