Friend of man killed by police car in Peacehaven speaks of tragedy

Arron Ashdown, a childhood friend of Arthur Holscher-Ermert, received a message at 4am on May 1 telling him the heart-breaking news.

Arthur Holscher-Ermert, from Newhaven, died after being hit by an unmarked black BMW on the A259 at Bramber Avenue in Peacehaven exactly two weeks ago.

The 27-year-old died at the scene on Saturday, April 30, after the incident which happened around 11.10pm.

More than 100 people gathered on Thursday

Mr Ashdown was speaking at the vigil which was paying respect to Arthur on what would have been his 28th birthday on Thursday, May 12.

He told The Argus: “We all grew up in Newhaven, it’s a small town. Our mums and dads are friends and went to school together. Since primary school, a group of us have been a close circle of friends.

“The hardest thing, we have a group chat and Arthur is still in it. I was only with him the Tuesday before he died.

Karl Holscher-Ermert raising a toast for his brother

“Karl messaged me at 4am that Saturday to tell me what happened. I got the text saying ‘my brother is dead’ and I sat up in bed and woke my wife up, she is friends with them too. We’re just trying to make sure Karl is okay.

“This is Karl’s fight now, he will fight for this. You will never meet closer brothers than those two.

“I think we’re going to do this as a yearly thing now to remember him. Every day is weird at the moment, the day it happened is a blur.

Tributes for Arthur, including a sign saying "the Holscherbang"

“I want Karl to get the answers he deserves and put some closure on it. This won’t just be swept away and forgotten about, I don’t think anyone will forget Arthur.

“Arthur was amazing, a real ‘Jack the lad’ kind of guy. If you had his respect, he would go to the ends of the earth for you. He’s going to be missed forever, there won’t be another Arthur.”

Arthur Holscher-Ermert was driving an Audi which was being pursued by another police car on the night of his death.

He left the Audi at Bramber Avenue where he was struck moments later by the unmarked police car which had not been involved in the pursuit.

The black BMW being taken from the scene

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed that the driver of the car, a police constable, is under criminal investigation for causing death by dangerous driving. He has not been arrested.

At the end of the IOPC investigation, it will be decided whether to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether the officer should be prosecuted.

The officer, a police constable, will also be investigated for potential gross misconduct.

Anyone with information is urged to call the IOPC on 0300 3035612 or email peacehavenrti@policeconduct.gov.uk  as soon as possible.