Purley man in court on dangerous driving charge following death of two cyclists

On Thursday February 13, at 9pm, two cyclists, Reading Borough Council workers, 30-year-old father-of-two John Morland, of Elvaston Way, Tilehurst, and father-of-five, Kris Jarvis, aged 39, of Brocksett Close, Reading died, following a collision involving a BMW car on the A329.
Alexander Farrar Walters, aged 31, from Beech Road, Purley, has been charged with causing the death of the cyclists by dangerous driving.
He also faces one charge of aggravated vehicle taking, one charge of driving while disqualified, and one count of using a vehicle without insurance and is to appear at Reading Crown Court today (March 3), after being remanded in custody at an earlier hearing.
Officers from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), carried out door-to-door enquiries in Purley on February 20 and have appealed for witnesses, after the IPCC began an investigation into the role of Thames Valley Police in the collision.
TVP referred the matter to the IPCC, after officers in a marked police 4×4 in Pangbourne on February 13 noticed the black BMW, and in connection with an incident reported earlier.
The IPCC’s independent investigation is examining how police responded in the time period between the sighting of the BMW and the fatal collision.
IPCC Associate Commissioner, Guido Liguori said: “I would like to offer my condolences to the families of the two men at this very difficult time. As police officers were in the vicinity and sighted the BMW very shortly before the collision, we will be investigating how the police responded to the sighting and whether their actions had any effect on the events that followed.
“I would urge anyone who saw anything that may assist with our investigation to come forward.”
The IPCC is keen to speak to anyone who witnessed events on the A329 between Pangbourne, in the area of the police station and Texaco garage, and Purley, close to the junction of Purley Rise and Westbury Lane where the collision occurred, at 9pm on Thursday February 13.
Anyone with information should contact the IPCC investigation team on Freephone 0800 096 9071 or email: pangbourne@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk.