Simon Crowcroft this week, for the first time, heard details of what happened to the three-year-old on a shared-space road next to the park during an inquest into the boy’s death.
He said: ‘As a parent and someone whose child was run over in town in 1994 it was horrific to hear what happened. My child broke their leg, so I cannot imagine what Mr and Mrs Pringle have gone through.
‘I have met Clinton’s parents, Michael and Stacey, twice now and we are in discussions for a memorial for Clinton. As a parish we have offered to get that done. We have also talked to Andium Homes and about a more substantial item in the new park.
‘A plaque is something we can do easily, but we would like something more substantial like a boating pond, paddling pool or play area. Something that will
reflect the concern and impact this has had on a whole community.’
Andium Homes recently had plans passed to build homes on the nearby Gas Works site and to extend the park by up to 50 per cent.
In a statement released after Clinton’s inquest, his parents said they were pleased the parish was ‘now taking road safety around the area seriously’. During the inquest, the parish announced a series of changes to Tunnell Street, where Clinton was run over by a van driven by Rebekah Le Gal.
‘The Pringles are understandably very upset,’ said Mr Crowcroft. ‘I understand where they are coming from. If I were in their shoes, I would say the same thing but we have constantly been trying to make the roads in St Helier safer. It was only recently we got the 20 mph speed limit on the ring road.’
He added: ‘Shared spaces have been around for decades. We do feel there are some issues around shared spaces. Certainly very young children and the sight-impaired need to be better protected, particularly in Jersey where drivers seem to be less respectful.’
Asked if the parish was aware if any civil legal action was being brought against it following Clinton’s death, Mr Crowcroft said: ‘No, but it is a matter for the family to do what they want to.’
He added: ‘I will be making a statement in the States on 11
December to address some false information that has been shared.’
Meanwhile, the States police have said that claims made during the inquest that they prevented the parish from making changes to the roads around the park while a criminal investigation was ongoing were untrue.
Mr Crowcroft later told the JEP that straight after the accident
a safety report was commissioned and changes were being planned to the road behind the scenes. Changes were made to Gas Place – on the other side of the park – where ten of 11 recorded accidents around the park occurred between 2012 and 2016.
