THE adoptive parents of the Hawkley teenage driver who was killed in an horrific crash on the A3 nearly 19 months ago have spoken, following the inquest, of their grief of losing their son. Jerry and Pamela Iggleden, who live at Hanger Court, issued the statement after the inquest at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court returned a verdict of death by misadventure on Graham Iggleden. The couple's statement read: "My wife and I remain extremely distressed by the tragic and premature death of our only and much-loved son, Graham, at a point when he had so much from life to look forward to. "We are satisfied with the verdict of the inquest. We would like to state that we are, and have always been, quite satisfied that the police did all that they could to try and secure Graham's safety, and we would like to record our thanks to all the officers involved. "We would also especially like to record our thanks to the officers who have provided us with so much support and help over the last 18 months. We have found that invaluable. "We have no further comments to make, and would ask the press to leave us in peace while we continue to try and rebuild our lives." Graham Iggleden died on January 24 last year after the Audi he was driving ploughed into the back of a stationary maintenance lorry on the southbound carriageway of the A3, about a mile south of Petersfield, after a high-speed police chase. The car, which flipped onto its bonnet and burst into flames on impact, was so badly damaged that onlookers couldn't tell the make or colour after the crash. The 18 year old was on bail on suspicion of rape when he died. Earlier that morning, police had tried to arrest Graham Iggleden in Station Road, Liss, but he rammed the police car and escaped at high speed onto the A3. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation of the death of the teenager concluded that there were no conduct issues for police officers. In a statement from the IPCC this week, commissioner Rebecca Marsh concluded: "Mr Iggleden was driving a stolen Audi A6 car on the A3 near Liss in Hampshire. He was being pursued by Hampshire police officers when he collided with a stationary works vehicle. Mr Iggleden died following this collision. "This followed earlier reports of possible offences in Sussex which required both forces to liaise." Ms Marsh added: "I would like to offer my sympathy to Mr Iggleden's family and friends. "This was a thorough investigation and included obtaining witness details from about 100 witnesses. The IPCC investigation has concluded that police officers from both Sussex police and Hampshire constabulary acted appropriately. "However, as a result of our findings we have made recommendations to both forces on information sharing between the two organisations, training for staff, contingency planning, and the risk assessment process."
