A British pensioner was crushed to death by a speeding, unlicensed lorry driver in a Barbados port, only for the perpetrator to escape prosecution because the incident did not occur on a public road, an inquest has heard.
Janet Purkess, 87, was on a “luxury” cruise holiday when she was fatally struck by a 29-tonne HGV shortly after disembarking the Saga Sapphire in Bridgetown.
The vehicle, driven by Anthony Walcott, reversed “negligently”, killing her instantly.
A coroner in Britain has since condemned Barbadian authorities for their handling of the case, describing the ruling that dismissed the criminal charges against Mr Walcott as “extraordinary”.
The case, heard in a Barbados magistrates’ court, was thrown out on the technicality that the collision did not take place on a public highway.
Further revelations showed that Mr Walcott’s case was adjourned an astonishing 19 times over five years before its eventual dismissal.
Ms Purkess’ family, who have endured a six-year wait for answers following her death in 2020, were not informed of the court decision until after the seven-day appeal period had expired.
Her inquest at Portsmouth Coroner’s Court, Hants, which began in 2023, had been adjourned pending the conclusion of the protracted criminal proceedings.
Ms Purkess, a widow of a retired sailor from New Forest village Lyndhurst, Hants, started the cruise in Southampton, Hants, on 5 January 2020.
The 33-night over-50s cruise, which can cost up to £10,000, was due to visit vibrant Caribbean destinations including St Lucia, Trinidad and St Kitts.
Mr Walcott got out of the lorry after hitting Ms Purkess and shouted “mamma mia” while crying, the inquest heard.
The blue crane truck, owned by Mr Walcott’s father, had no rear-view mirror or reversing alarm, nor did it have an assisting officer.
He was unlicensed and driving at speed, it was heard.
Coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said she had “never seen such horrific injuries” in her 15 years of being a coroner because the lorry ran over Ms Purkiss with both front and back wheels.
Ms Purkess was killed on what was described as a “roadway” at the Barbados port. It was not legally a road, according to magistrates in Barbados.
Ms Rhodes-Kemp said: “This has left the Purkess family feeling even worse about what is a horrific situation.
“There is no way that this road doesn’t come within this categorisation.
“The really bad part is that there was only a week to appeal and that nobody was told about this decision.
“I think that is regrettable because a week is not long to appeal. I think it could have been won on appeal.
“I know how much it has impacted you and I think it has greatly impacted your sense of loss. I’m sorry.”
Sergeant Ralph Rollock, the prosecutor in Mr Walcott’s case, said that his main aim was to get the case sent to the High Court because it was an indictable offence, but he was not able to convince the magistrate that this was legally a road.
He said that he told his seniors about the outcome of the case, but they were the ones who did not inform the family.
Ms Rhodes-Kemp described the events as a “perfect storm” of a “terribly tragic” situation.
She said: “[Mr Walcott] was operating the vehicle alone as his supporting operator had left six months ago and hadn’t been replaced.
“There was no audible alarm in place. What’s more, the truck had a large crane behind the driving side, restricting the vision for the driver.
“Mr Walcott had no current HGV licence and the contract with the company had been terminated in 2016 and hadn’t been renewed.
“The captain left the vessel at 9:42. At that point there were no security personnel on the breakwater to manage the passenger disembarkation.”
Ms Rhodes-Kemp said there was no signage on the walkway to tell passengers that they should not be in that area.
She added: “All we know is that Janet Purkess was walking along the roadway.
“Since Anthony Walcott had finished the bunkering, he wished to exit the breakwater.
“He couldn’t turn round because it was too narrow, so he was reversing his lorry.
“He didn’t see her, and tragically the rear of his vehicle hit Janet Purkess and the truck continued to reverse and sadly both sets of wheels, front and back, went over her.
“I have been a coroner for 15 years, and I was a nurse before being a lawyer, and I have never seen such horrific injuries.”
In a statement given to police and read out at the previous hearing, Mr Walcott said: “There was a van parked in front of me.
“I was moving the truck away from some skips, men were throwing garbage off the ship into the skips.
“I checked my left and right mirrors, no one was behind me and I proceeded to reverse.
“I felt a bump, I thought it was garbage.
“I then saw that there was a person lying in front of me.
“I phoned my father and told him what had happened.”
Apolonio Abag, who was part of the sanitation crew onboard the ship, saw the moment that Ms Purkess was killed by the lorry.
He said that he had been around the back of the truck and was shouted at by Mr Walcott in an “aggressive” way to get out of the way.
He said: “I didn’t see the lady, Mrs Purkess. I heard a loud noise. It seemed that he pumped the accelerator hard.
“I know that because there was a big puff of smoke, and when I turned round to look at the truck, it had gone back very quickly.
“I turned around, and then I could already see the passenger lying on the ground.
“The driver had got out and was saying something like ‘mamma mia’.
“After I saw the driver standing by the truck crying. I am not sure what he did as I went the other way.
“I can’t understand why he wouldn’t have seen Mrs Purkess when he walked to the side of the truck.
“I believe he must simply have been in a hurry and that he didn’t see Mrs Purkess.”
He said the truck was going “too fast”, considering it was reversing.
Mr Abag said he gave a written statement to a member of staff on the ship, but he was never asked by the police to give evidence.
Sergeant Andrew Sandiford, the collisions investigator in the case, said that he concluded in his report that Mr Walcott had not had sufficient mirrors in the truck to be able to see Ms Purkess.
In his report, he said that Mr Walcott had been driven “negligently” and he had no awareness that the criminal case had been dismissed.
The hearing continues.
