Coroner sums up in PC Nick Dumphreys M6 tragedy inquest

PC Nick Dumphreys, 47, suffered fatal injuries when his BMW marked patrol car crashed on the M6 near Carlisle in January 2020.

A forensic accident investigator concluded that the officer, who was responding to an emergency call about an assault involving knives, lost control of the car after sudden engine failure spilled leaking oil on to the wheels.

Witnesses also saw flames pouring out of the engine.

As coroner Robert Cohen summarised the evidence given during a five-day inquest in Carlisle, he outlined the concerning scale of faults with the car’s N57 engine in police patrol cars across the country.

The hearing was told that BMW first received reports of a fire breaking out in this kind of engine in 2016, while the engine failure rate among local authority operated cars with the same engine was 15 per cent.

Mr Cohen said there were between five and seven failures in police cars with this engine reported every month in the UK, though the failure rate in other jurisdictions were 'significantly less.'

The inquest heard detailed explanations about how BMW and police forces responded as details about the problems emerged.

As he began his summing up, the coroner said he had been deeply moved by the evidence of PC Dumphreys’ widow Kathryn. The officer had clearly been a loved and adored family man, said the coroner.

Quoting from Mrs Dumphreys’ statement, Mr Cohen said: “Nick was truly a brilliant human; and that was a wonderful thing to be able to say about anyone; and it was tragic that it was being said at the inquest into his untimely and early death.”

Mr Cohen described PC Dumphreys as a 'highly skilled' police officer, who was also an advanced driver, held in high regard by his colleagues.

At the time of the crash, he had been driving at a speed of 130mph.

This was well within his skill level, said Mr Cohen. One witness who saw him driving the BMW southwards along the M6 said the car was being 'perfectly driven.'

The coroner also highlighted the 'heroic' actions of passers by who pulled PC Dumphreys from his crashed and burning car. The officer had driven away from Todhills Services just after 2pm and the accident happened four minutes later.

The coroner went on to summarise evidence about three specific faults which had been found with the BMW 330: one involving a loss of power when it was driven above 70mph; one involving its diesel particulate filter; and one involving the car’s so-called dynamic stability control system.

The inquest also heard evidence about how BMW and Cumbria Constabulary responded to problems with an 'Aftersales Online System' (AOS) and oil consumption rates. The firm issued advice to police forces urging more frequent oil changes.

The coroner summarised evidence of what lay behind the BMW’s engine failure: a worn and displaced engine part blocked an oil supply line, starving moving parts of the engine of lubricant.

As the engine failed, moving parts were ejected at speed and oil which was spilled across the engine floor onto combustible engine parts ignited. Oil also leaked onto the motorway and 'more critically' onto the BMW’s wheels.

Mr Cohen said: “As a result, the vehicle, which was already being driven at high speed, became unstable and began to veer. Nick tried to correct that veering but it would not have been possible for him to do so.”

The inquest heard that there are no national core standards for police car fleet workshops. The problems with police patrol cars using the N57 engine led to a far more frequent serving regime – at around every 5,000 miles.

The coroner will deliver his conclusions on a date which is yet to be agreed, though he will first rule on whether his conclusions should include a recommendations of actions which he may judge necessary to prevent similar future deaths.

* In January, BMW issued advice to UK police forces, telling them to avoid high speed pursuits in cars with the N57 engine.

The company’s statement said: "We have been working with the Police for some time on a technical matter linked to a small number of special high-performance vehicles.

"This issue is associated with the particular way in which the Police operate these high-performance vehicles. This unique usage profile puts extra strain on some components and therefore BMW has specified a special servicing programme for these vehicles.

"There is no need for action on any civilian vehicles."

The effect of the advice was that police pursuits in cars with this engine were limited to a speed of no more than 90mph. The statement added:  “Our priority at this time is to ensure the safety and the long-term integrity of the equipment our officers use.”

'We are determined to do everything in our power to help get to the root cause'

Following the inquest, chief constable Michelle Skeer said: "Cumbria Constabulary recognises the past two-and-a-half years, as well as this past week, have been incredibly difficult for the family of Nick.

"The thoughts of everyone at Cumbria Constabulary remain today with Nick's family, particularly his wife Kat and their children.

"Whilst we understand that the length of time taken to get to this stage has created further strain for the family, this is something beyond the Constabulary's control.

"The Constabulary would like to make clear that it has co-operated fully with the inquest and all requests from the Coroner for information as we are determined to do everything in our power to help get to the root cause of the accident.

"However, it is important to recognise that the inquest has not concluded.

"Conclusions reached by the coroner will not be known for a number of weeks.

"As such, it would not be appropriate at this time for Cumbria Constabulary to speculate on what conclusions the Coroner may reach whilst this process remains on-going."

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