The sister of an 11-year-old girl who died after being knocked down by a police officer in an unmarked car has spoken for the first time of how her once happy family was 'torn apart' by heartbreak.
Kelly Edgar was hit by a Ford Fiesta on January 30, 1993. She had been walking to her local corner shop to buy some sweets with her big sister Leanne, 13, who witnessed the horrific incident.
As the 30th anniversary of the tragedy approaches, Leanne told the Liverpool Echo : "I was in front of Kelly, she was behind me, and as I got to the other side of the road I heard a bang. I turned around and saw Kelly flying through the air.
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"At first I thought the car wasn't going to stop, but then it did stop quite far down the road. When the driver got out, it was a policeman. I can't remember much. I was hysterical, screaming, just hoping she would get up."
The crash happened at the junction of Shaw Street and College Street North In Liverpool at 8.20pm.
Kelly, a Year 7 pupil at Our Lady of Fatima High School, was rushed to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in a serious condition. She died on February 1 without ever regaining consciousness - just a week before her 12th birthday.
An investigation found the car was being driven by on-duty PC Michael Cloherty, 28, who was taking the vehicle to the Merseyside Police garage on Smithdown Lane from his base at St Anne Street.
He was charged with reckless driving and appeared before magistrates in November 1993, where the court heard he had been driving at a speed between 30 and 40mph at the time of the tragedy.
After the day-long hearing, the magistrate took just 15 minutes to clear the police officer of all charges.
A jury inquest had previously recorded a verdict of misadventure.
Leanne, now a 42-year-old civil servant, said her sister's death and the lack of closure "destroyed" her dad Joey and mum, Patsy - and had a long-lasting effect on her and her younger brothers Joseph and Shaun.
She said: "They never got over it. It destroyed my mum and dad afterwards. We didn't have the family life we had before.
"It ruined our lives. Their hearts were broken; they were never the same. It broke them and it destroyed us. We were wrapped in cotton wool afterwards, we couldn't move because of it - they were scared of something happening to us. It just tore us apart.
"Kelly was loved by all. She was always bubbly, always happy. She was always the cheerful one who made everyone laugh. She was always dancing and singing. Her favourite music was Abba - Dancing Queen.
"She wanted to be everything: a dancer, a teacher, she changed her mind every week."
Joseph, who was just seven when Kelly was killed, said: "I just remember all the family coming down to the hospital, and after she passed my mum and dad wouldn't let us out. They were very protective.
"We moved from where we were because there were too many memories of Kelly, the roads. We went to Anfield and then to Kensington, and then moved back years later."
A spokesman from Merseyside Police said: “We understand the traumatic impact this continues to have on the family of 11-year-old Kelly Edgar who tragically died following a collision involving an unmarked police car on 30 January 1993.
"In relation to the collision the incident was fully investigated and an inquest was later heard by a jury on 29 April 1993.
“The conclusion was misadventure - death caused by a person accidentally while performing a legal act without negligence or intent to harm.
“The former police officer driving the vehicle was then cleared of any charges in November 1993. Our thoughts and condolences remain with Kelly Edgar's family throughout their loss."
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