‘I told teen to follow me but he vanished’
APOLICE officer who confronted a teenager whose body was found the next day in the river Tawe in Swansea lost sight of him after asking him to follow his car.
Pc Paul Young told the inquest into the death of Alex Pavlou he had not let him in his car as he had soiled himself. Instead, he had instructed the 19-yearold to follow his vehicle as he drove slowly across Sainsbury’s car park towards the store’s petrol station – but lost sight of him in his rear-view mirror by the time he arrived.
He said it was a “judgemental error” believing Mr Pavlou was still following him.
A search of the area was subsequently carried out, but the former Olchfa pupil was not traced, until a passer-by was alerted to cries from the river Tawe, prompting a search by the emergency services, which proved unsuccessful.
The inquest had earlier heard that Mr Pavlou had become separated from his friends on a night out in Wind Street on May 27, 2015, and that the friends had travelled home to Swansea during university holidays.
Police had first escorted Mr Pavlou from the area after being called by door staff at Fiction nightclub, who described him as being a “nuisance” when being turned away from the club for being too intoxicated.
He had then been spotted by staff at Sainsbury’s, who also described him as intoxicated, and colleagues at the store’s petrol station, who had eventually called for police assistance.
However, before South Wales Police could respond, an officer heading for patrol in Fabian Way coincidentally pulled into the petrol station’s forecourt, and staff spoke to him about Mr Pavlou’s behaviour.
The officer, PC Paul Young, went to look for Mr Pavlou, who had walked away into Sainsbury’s car park.
He told the inquest Mr Pavlou appeared to have soiled the front of his trousers, but was not otherwise dishevelled.
PC Young had been told by petrol station staff that Mr Pavlou had dropped his driving licence on the forecourt, and indicated that he should return to collect it with the officer.
The officer said: “He walked to the passenger door, and I said, ‘you can’t get in, you have wet yourself ’, or ‘your trousers are wet’. ‘Now follow me to the filling station’.
“I started the car up and I was watching Alex in the door wing mirror, and maintaining a safe distance between us. I then travelled down the car park towards the store, maintaining a view of Alex behind.
“At this time he was following me and I had no reason to think he may have misunderstood me. I went back to the forecourt and got out to get his licence from [petrol station employee] Mr Griffiths.
“There were three or four customers at the night hatch and Mr Griffiths did not come out as quickly to see me this time. I turned around and saw Alex was not there.”
When asked by assistant coroner Paul Bennett whether he had looked in the mirror to check Alex was still following him as he turned a corner at the front of the Sainsbury’s store towards the petrol station, PC Young replied: “In hindsight I would have stopped the car and checked. In hindsight there are many things I would have done... I made a judgemental error.”
The inquest continues.