LEATHERBARROW: BILLY ELLIOT DANCER KILLED BY BUS

A 12-year-old Billy Elliot dancer ran to her death under a bus when her mother’s car got stuck in traffic, an inquest heard.

Ballerina Charlotte Leatherbarrow, who performed in Billy Elliot The Musical, was seen dashing across the road on her way to a dance class ‘like a gazelle.’

She was being driven to the class by her mother Karen when she jumped out of the car to run the rest of the way after the car was gridlocked.

Shocked bystanders but one witness person filmed the scene until a policeman stopped him and deleted the footage.

Dr Beatrice Tucker told Southwark Coroners Court she was driving near the scene in south east London when she saw the child star run out into the road.

In a statement, she said: ‘It struck me immediately how she moved beautifully, like a gazelle. She was so athletic, so quick, it only took her a few steps to get across.’

The bus driver had no time to stop when Charlotte ran into the road.

‘The scream was very brief and definitely that of a child,’ Dr Tucker added.

‘I saw the girl fall to the floor as the bus continued forward.’

Dr Tucker said that she immediately knew the dancer was dead.

Paramedic David McDermott arrived at the scene on the junction of Herne Hill and Gubyon Avenue, at 6.53pm on March 17.

In a statement, he said: ‘I looked under the bus and I could see a young female lying on her left side with her head nearest to me.

‘The back of her head was under the tyre, she was not breathing and did not have a pulse. The injury was not compatible with life.’

Aware that Charlotte’s mother and two brothers were standing nearby, he asked that the bus be left in position.

He then offered treatment to one of the boys who was having trouble breathing, as police persuaded the family to move away from the scene.

‘I spoke to the bus driver, who was still sitting in the driver’s seat,’ he said. ‘I asked her what had happened and she said the patient had run out into the road from the right-hand side.’

Collision investigators later found the bus had been driving at just 16 to 17 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

Giving evidence, PC Stephen Cash said: ‘In summary, the driver had no time to react.

‘There were no defects to the bus, no defects to the road surface and the driving conditions were good.

‘I interviewed the driver some time after the event and she was very distressed throughout the incident.’

Dr Peter Straker, deputy coroner for London Inner South, said Miss Leatherbarrow died from a head injury and returned a verdict of accidental death.

Her family were said to be ‘too distressed’ to attend today’s hearing at Southwark Coroner’s Court.

Dr Straker told the court clerk: ‘If you have the opportunity to speak to members of the family, would you give them my sincere condolences.’

Charlotte of Deyncroft Road, Herne Hill, had been playing a ballerina in the show.

After the accident, a spokesman said: ‘The cast, crew and production team of Billy Elliot The Musical were devastated to hear the tragic news about Charlotte, one of the show’s young performers.

‘At this terribly sad time our thoughts are with her family.’

Charlotte, attended The Charter School, in Herne Hill.

Her parents said in a statement: ‘Charlotte was a fun-loving, thoughtful, caring and bubbly girl.

‘She loved life and lived it to the full, already living her dream as a dancer. As a family, we ask that our privacy be respected, so that we can be left alone to grieve at this time.’

Since the accident, Miss Leatherbarrow’s family and friends have set up the Charlotte Foundation to help young performers.

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