Mum turns detective to reveal police link to businessman cleared of killing her son, 15

Coroner orders new investigation into road death after her five-year fight for justice

THE grieving mother of a gifted teenage footballer knocked down and killed by a driver has accused police of a cover-up after turning detective and discovering the motorist had links to the force that investigated her son’s death.

Tracey Milligan claims Lancashire Police failed to properly investigate the death of 15-yearold Dylan Crossey after he was hit by a BMW driven by businessman David Harwood while cycling on a country lane near the village of Whitestake in 2016.

Mr Harwood, 46, who had been drinking before the crash, failed to stop and drove on to a rendezvous with a woman he had earlier met on the internet, leaving Dylan – who had played for Manchester City’s youth academy – injured in the road. Mr Harwood later claimed to have been unaware he had hit someone, even though the impact shattered his windscreen.

Despite this, Ms Milligan says police failed to obtain key CCTV footage of Harwood’s movements in the hours before the incident and did not interview potentially important witnesses. Nor did officers carry out a detailed reconstruction of the collision, which could have thrown up vital clues.

Lancashire Police has not commented on her claims. Harwood pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, but his

‘I can only conclude they have something to hide’

trial collapsed in March 2018 and he was acquitted.

Before his trial, Ms Milligan heard rumours that Harwood was a director and shareholder of HB Panelcraft, a major vehicle repair company in Preston, and that the firm had a £280,000 contract to repair Lancashire Police vehicles.

Ms Milligan says a police family liaison officer denied there was any connection between the force and Mr Harwood and suggested the stress of her son’s death was causing her to believe ‘tittle-tattle’ and that she should seek medical help.

But concerned that the link between Harwood and the force influenced their investigation, Ms Milligan set about uncovering the truth. She took photographs of Lancashire Police vehicles on the forecourt of HB Panelcraft’s repair shop and videos of them on the back of the firm’s breakdown trucks.

Ms Milligan says she confronted the family liaison officer with her evidence, who accepted the force did indeed have a contract with the company. Ms Milligan told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It is a conflict of interest. Lancashire Police should never have investigated. I am deeply concerned that the link between Harwood and Lancashire Police could be one reason why they have failed to properly investigate Dylan’s death.’

Mr Harwood’s lawyer has said that his client had no direct involvement in the police car contract.

Last month an inquest into Dylan’s death was halted after a coroner referred the case back to the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider prosecuting Harwood for manslaughter by gross negligence.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the House of Commons Speaker and Ms Milligan’s MP, last night suggested an outside police force may be needed to carry out the new probe.

He said: ‘Following the coroner’s decision, it is now essential that a thorough inquiry is conducted, by an independent force if necessary, to ensure every avenue is explored into the events surrounding Dylan’s death and the subsequent investigation that was conducted by Lancashire Police.’

Ms Milligan has also accused Lancashire Police of a ‘cover-up’ after it refused to release to her the findings of an external report into the force’s investigation carried out by Essex Police after Harwood’s acquittal. It is understood the Lancashire force claims the report is flawed and that Essex’s investigators exceeded their terms of reference. Last week Lancashire Police also rejected a request from this newspaper to release the report under Freedom of Information laws.

Ms Milligan, who has vowed to continue her fight for ‘justice’, said: ‘I have a right to see that report.

‘It’s about my child. I cannot understand why it has not been shared with me. My only conclusion is that they have something to hide, which leads me to think the whole thing is a cover-up.’

The inquest heard that Dylan was cycling with a friend at about 11pm on October 7, 2016, when Harwood’s silver BMW struck the back of his bike at a speed of up to 42mph, hurling him almost 100ft down the road.

The jury was told that Harwood, from New Longton, Lancashire, had consumed two pints of lager in a pub followed by a glass of wine with a kebab in the period before the crash. He was on his way to a rendezvous with a woman he had just met on the dating site Zoosk. He claims he did not see either of the boys or the bikes before, during or after the collision and that he thought he had hit an animal. Dylan died the following day at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

The inquest also heard that the day after the tragedy, Harwood’s brother Neil told police that David had told him he had been ‘punching in’ the postcode of the woman’s address into his satnav system when the collision occurred.

However, Neil Harwood told the inquest he could not recall what his brother had told him. David Harwood said he entered the woman’s address details into the satnav before he set off driving.

David Harwood claimed he had finished work on the afternoon of the crash at about 5.15pm before calling at the Farmers Arms pub in White stake. But Ms Milligan claims police failed to obtain CCTV evidence, including from cameras at his workplace, which would support – or disprove – his account. She has also claimed that officers failed to interview potential witnesses in the pub.

Described as a talented striker with ‘mesmerising skills’, Dylan was at Manchester City’s academy for nine months from 2014 and had attracted the attention of Championship club Preston North End.

Lancashire Police said: ‘Dylan Crossey’s death was a tragedy and our thoughts remain with Dylan’s family, friends and loved ones.

‘There is still an ongoing inquest and the coroner has referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service for review. ‘We are fully co-operating with both of these processes and in order to preserve their integrity this is not the right time for us to comment on the case in any detail.’

David Harwood and Neil Harwood both declined to comment.

‘He drove on to see woman he met on web’