BALACLAVA-wearing teenagers drove down quiet streets with tape over their number plates, staring at and ‘intimidating’ locals on the day PC Andrew Harper was killed, a court has heard.
The group were in a silver Seat Toledo, which is now the vehicle at the centre of PC Harper's murder trial at the Old Bailey.
PC Harper died on August 15 after being dragged behind the car for more than a mile at speeds of around 40mph.
He was trying to stop a group of teenagers from stealing a £10,000 quad bike from a property called Privett House, just off Cock Lane.
The court has previously heard how PC Harper, who lived in Wallingford, had chased after the car but had been lassoed around his legs and dragged by a loading strap that the teenagers were using to tow the quad bike.
The driver of the car was Henry Long, 18, and his passengers were two 17-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
File court artist sketch dated March 9 by Elizabeth Cook of Henry Long, 18, (left) sitting beside a dock officer at the Old Bailey.
They all deny murder but say they did plot to steal a quad bike.
Yesterday, at the fourth day of the trial, Peter Wallis of Privett House, appeared in the witness box to give his evidence in person.
He said at 5pm that evening he had heard a car pulling up on his drive.
He asked, 'Can I help you gentlemen?' twice to the men in the car, before one of them 'eyeballed him' and said 'yeah' in a 'testing way', he said.
He said he didn't call the police, even though the men were wearing balaclavas, because he didn’t have his phone on him and about half an hour later had seen a police car in the area, so assumed police were on the case.
However when the car returned later that night at about 11pm, he dialled 999 'within a minute'.
In the dramatic call, that was played to jurors yesterday, Mr Wallis can be heard telling the operator 'I have got four masked men outside my house and they have weapons'.
He told the court: “I was chastised by many, many people for not [calling the police at 5pm]. Many people.”
Other statements from witnesses who saw the car before and during the quad bike heist were also read out to the court.
Yvonne Milliam was on her way back from work at around 4.50pm when she saw the silver hatchback driving down Cock Lane.
She said: “My initial thoughts were that it had been in an accident, as there was a significant dent in the bumper. I started to lower my window to ask if they were ok.
“It was then I saw the front number plate had royal blue tape on.”
PC Andrew Harper
She said at this point she realised the occupants of the car were up to no good.
She added: “As they got closer I stopped and realised that all the people were wearing balaclavas. As they looked across, the driver looked right at me.
“I felt instantly intimidated and scared. It made me feel so intimidated and scared that I drove away and as I looked back I saw that the rear number plates were also covered.
“I realised that something was not right and so I called the police.”
Rebecca Brook, who was driving in the area at the time, said she had seen a 'tatty' old car with its number plates taped over.
The trial continues.
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