‘My daughter was treated like a criminal as she lay dying on the road’

‘She was treated like a criminal rather than with care and compassion.’

Those are the heart-wrenching words of the mum of Soriah Barry, a promising singer who died following a crash with a double-decker bus in Lea Bridge Road, Clapton, in February last year.

She lay dying in the road for nearly two hours while witnesses filmed her and uploaded the footage.

And as she fought for her life, police officers discussed ‘nicking’ her.

Now her family say Soriah’s life could have been saved if she had been treated with ‘care and compassion’.

Speaking to Metro, Soriah’s mum Saphiatu said: ‘We have kept her room exactly as it was. The light is still on, her makeup powder is still everywhere. But after a few months everyone did say I needed to get rid of the KFC still up there.’

Pictures of Soriah, smiling with her three siblings are on nearly every wall of the family home. She is at a recording studio, at a family party or on holiday – completely full of life.

But as the family try to process their grief, the crash investigation has led to more questions rather than answering them.

‘She was treated like a criminal as she lay dying’

The family argue that clips of her care at the scene sting of negligence, with officers discussing whether to ‘nick her’.

It took two hours for her to get to hospital. In this time, witnesses had filmed her lying on the road with her clothes open and uploaded it to Tiktok.

Saphiatu said: ‘She was treated like a criminal at the scene, rather than with care and compassion.

‘We do not blame anyone else for the actual crash. But Soriah’s life could have been saved.’

The family believe she became distracted at the wheel of the car which would often veer to the side.

When seeing it was starting to drift, they believe she put her foot down on the accelerator rather than the brake.

‘She went from 23mph to 30mph in the space of a few seconds before crashing into the bus,’ her mum said.

‘There was no care or compassion’

Bystanders were first on the scene, and in the 999 calls heard by Metro, they tried desperately to lift her out of the car.

Witness Curtis Chrissafi ran to help Soriah. He said: ‘She tried to push the door open. I asked her if she was okay she faintly said “no, I’m not”.’

They can be heard lifting her together as a responder on the phone instructed them calmly on how to get her to safety as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

‘You need to listen to me very carefully, and get her out the car,’ the 999 operator says. ‘This young lady is really quite poorly.’

Once police and paramedics arrived, the sense of urgency seemed to dissipate, according to neighbours who watched on.

Her family say this is because empty alcohol bottles and gas cannisters were found inside the car – but Soriah was well below the legal limit according to toxicology reports.

‘She had just gone on a weekend away with friends and the AirBnB said they had to take all their rubbish home with them, and it ended up in Soriah’s car,’ mum said.

On the body cam footage, a police officer discusses whether to ‘nick’ Soriah, while a paramedic sarcastically remarks ‘surprise, surprise’ upon seeing the bottles.

‘It was obvious how ill she was’

The sense of urgency changed once Soriah was loaded into an ambulance, and promptly went into cardiac arrest.

She was finally driven to The Royal London Hospital through rush hour traffic, which her family say not only delayed her arrival but could have been avoided if they had set off earlier.

Soriah eventually arrived at 8.52am, two hours after the initial crash, with her mum already there waiting.

‘It’s crazy to think I actually got there before her. Police came and picked me up at 8am and I spent ages waiting in family rooms before a surgeon told me nothing more could be done.’

During the operation for a lacerated liver, Soriah went into cardiac arrest another three times.

The family screamed when they were told the news, and have been working to live without her ever since.

‘She’s missing out on everything’

Apple Music has told the family and Soriah’s producer they would still like to upload her songs in her memory.

We just wish she was still here,’ her mum said. ‘Her goddaughter misses her as well, and her brother has had a baby girl.

‘She would have loved having them around so much. Babies couldn’t get enough of her.’

The family have received an apology from the police for the remarks picked up on the bodycam footage.

It reads: ‘Having reviewed the officers’ responses and reviewed their BWV, I
am satisfied that the comments were not made in a discriminatory
nature, but in discussion in what to do to as part of their
investigation.

‘I do appreciate that this may have sounded insensitive and was
distressing to hear, for which I am sincerely sorry, however, I do not
believe there is any evidence that the officers were acting or
speaking in a discriminatory manner.

‘I again wish to give our sincere sympathies for the sad situation you
have faced and apologise on behalf of the Metropolitan Police that
you felt it necessary to complain.

‘I am sorry that anyone working with the Metropolitan Police may have given you cause for concern. We are grateful to you for raising this issue and giving us the opportunity to review the actions of those concerned.’

Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, responsible for policing the Central East Command Unit, told Metro: ‘Our thoughts remain with Soriah’s family at what we know is an incredibly difficult time for them.

‘Following Soriah’s death, a complaint was received relating to the treatment provided by emergency services at the scene, as well as comments made by officers attending the incident.

‘This was assessed, and it was concluded that the service provided by officers was acceptable. A letter was sent to the complainant explaining this outcome and outlining their right of review; however, this was not taken up.’

Dr Fenella Wrigley, Chief Medical Officer at London Ambulance Service, said: ‘I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Ms Barry for their loss.

‘The inquest raised no concerns about the timeliness of our response to Ms Barry or the care which would have changed her tragic outcome.

‘Once again, we sympathise with her family and friends at this time.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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