Inquests into the death of Ellie Jade Marsden and Ryan David Duffy
Cumbria Coroner’s Court sitting at Carlisle
Before HM Assistant Coroner Mr Joseph Hart
Between 10 and 18 March 2025
A jury have concluded that a significant contributing factor to Ellie and Ryan’s deaths was a police vehicle that followed the couple for four minutes from Appleby to Long Rigg. They found that on the balance of probabilities the police vehicle was engaged in a spontaneous police pursuit which contributed to causing the crash. The officer was not permitted to pursue the vehicle as he is not a pursuit trained officer.
Ellie, 20, and Ryan, 24, died in the early hours of 5 September 2021, when the van they were travelling in collided with a tree off the road.
At around 12:30am an officer of Cumbria Constabulary, PC Stevenson, was on mobile patrol duty and saw Ellie getting into the passenger side of a van. The van, driven by Ryan, drove away and PC Stevenson followed the van.
PC Stevenson was trained to stop motor vehicles, but he is not permitted to pursue vehicles as he is not a pursuit trained officer. At no point did the officer illuminate the emergency blue lights when following the van. Telemetry data from the police vehicle indicated that PC Stevenson repeatedly drove above the speed limits of the road.
The officer followed the van for approximately four minutes, before both vehicles turned onto Long Rigg off the B620. Approximately 170 yards from the collision site, PC Stevenson turned onto Brackenslack Lane, where he stopped and then radioed into the control room.
PC Stevenson repeatedly accepted in his evidence that there was a possibility that Ryan knew he was being followed by the police. It was put to the officer that he should have been aware the driver was trying to evade him when driving the second time around Appleby, and he should have activated his emergency equipment at that stage. The jury found it was evident that Ryan was aware of the presence of the police and was taking evasive action, resulting in a pursuit, meaning that the officer should have stopped following the vehicle at that point as he was not pursuit trained.
A forensic collision investigator with Cumbria Constabulary told the jury that the van would have likely been travelling at around 40mph when the driver misjudged the bend. This was associated with a driver error, which could have been caused by impairment and/or distraction. PC Stevenson accepted in questioning that Ryan having an awareness of the officer following the van could have been a significant distraction. An impairment could have been caused by alcohol or drugs, and there was 2-3x the legal limit of alcohol in Ryan’s blood and presence of drugs.
The jury concluded that there were a number of factors contributing to Ellie and Ryan’s deaths, including alcohol and other intoxicants in Ryan’s blood stream, a driving error at the point the van left the road on Long Rigg and the fact that they were not wearing seatbelts. The jury stated that another significant contributing factor was the police vehicle that followed the van for some four minutes from Appleby and onto Long Rigg. The jury found that, on the balance of probability, the police vehicle was engaged in a spontaneous pursuit of Ryan and that this contributed to causing the crash.
Kelly Kennedy, Ellie’s mum, said:
We would like to thank the Coroner and the jury for their thorough and detailed approach. The conclusions they have reached have vindicated all that I have been fighting for over the last three and a half years. The officer’s pursuit of Ryan out of Appleby was a significant contributory factor in my daughter’s death.
The daily pain we have had to endure ever since losing our beautiful daughter Ellie is crippling. No parent should have to go through losing a child and especially in such horrific circumstances.
Ellie is and was the most loving, kind and caring daughter, who had her whole life ahead of her. She was more than just a daughter, she was my best friend and the best friend of her heartbroken sister Chloe. Our lives are completely shattered without her here in our arms and we will ache for her for the rest of our lives.
Ellie, I love and miss you more than life, and me, your dad, your family and friends will ache for you for all eternity.
Alice Wood of Farleys Solicitors said:
This is an extremely tragic death of a young couple. Their families have waited for over three and a half years for this inquest and have had to fight for the truth so that they can find out the full circumstances in which Ellie and Ryan died.
The jury’s findings have confirmed the families’ suspicions that the pursuit by the officer was a contributing factor to the deaths and that the officer should have stopped following the vehicle earlier on.
Ellie’s family were represented by Alice Wood of Farleys Solicitors and Andrew Bridgman of St John’s Buildings Barristers Chambers.
