Autistic schoolgirl, 17, who was killed on M5 after jumping out of moving police car was ‘failed’ by authorities, mother says

Published: 17:42, 24 September 2025 | Updated: 18:34, 24 September 2025

An autistic schoolgirl who was killed on the M5 after jumping from a moving police car was 'failed' by authorities, her mother has claimed.

Tamzin Hall, 17, who had been arrested for assault and criminal damage, was being taken into custody by two officers in a police car on November 11 last year when the tragedy occurred.

An inquest hearing at Wells Town Hall later that month was told that Tamzin, a student, had been able to remove her handcuffs and climb from the rear passenger side seat to the front passenger seat of the police car.

The teenager, from Wellington in Somerset, then got out of the car, crossed the road and climbed the crash barrier.

The police vehicle stopped on the northbound carriageway of the M5 between junctions 25 at Taunton and 24 at Bridgwater shortly after 11pm.

She was hit by a vehicle driven by a member of the public travelling on the southbound carriageway and was pronounced dead at 11.10pm after sustaining fatal head, neck and chest injuries.

Now her mother Amy Hall has told the BBC [2]: 'Tamzin was desperately failed. She never got the right help, she never got listened to.'

She suggested that her daughter should have been transported in a police van instead of a car, in light of her high-risk behaviour.

Tamzin Hall, pictured, an autistic schoolgirl who was killed on the M5 after jumping from a moving police car, was 'failed' by authorities, her mother has claimed

Now her mother Amy Hall has told the BBC : 'Tamzin was desperately failed.

She never got the right help, she never got listened to'

'My question is - how did she manage to get out of the handcuffs and out of the car with two police officers?' Ms Hall added.

Avon and Somerset Police said it had passed the incident on to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and would not be speculating on the findings.

Ms Hall added that her daughter had been diagnosed with autism and had serious mental health issues.

But she had a great sense of humour and enjoyed happier times at points in her life.

Tamzin's mother said she had a passion for cooking and also loved birds.

Her father died from cancer when she was just eight, according to Ms Hall, which had a big impact on her school life, with her often being sent out of the classroom.

She was then taken into a care home, which is where things went downhill, Ms Hall claimed, adding that it was completely the wrong environment for her.

Of her day her daughter died, Ms Hall reported that Tamzin had been behaving unusually and had been consuming alcohol.

She was hit by a car and killed on the M5 between Bridgwater and Taunton (pictured: police at the scene after the accident)

An inquest hearing at Wells Town Hall later that month was told that Tamzin had been able to remove her handcuffs before getting out of the car

'Did they always need to call the police?' she said. 'I wasn't there but sometimes I think the way they handled talking to her would make a situation worse.'

She admitted that she is still coming to terms with Tamzin's death and that she does not think she will recover from it.

Coroner's officer Ben Batley told the hearing at the time: 'Her injuries were not survivable and Tamzin was declared deceased where she was found on the motorway.'

The IOPC is investigating her death, including the contact two Avon and Somerset Police officers had with Tamzin before she died.

It is examining their 'actions, decision-making and risk assessments of the situation and whether these followed relevant training and policies'.

An annual report published in July by the IOPC on deaths following police contact revealed more information on how Tamzin got out of the car.

The report, which does not name Tamzin, says: 'A female child was arrested for assault and criminal damage.

'She was placed in the rear passenger side of a marked police car and handcuffed with her hands positioned in front. An officer was seated next to her during transport.

Her mother suggested that her daughter should have been transported in a police van instead of a car, in light of her high-risk behaviour

'While on her way to custody, the child managed to remove her handcuffs, climb into the front passenger seat, access the front passenger door and get out of the moving car.

'The child ran across the road and was struck by a vehicle being driven by a member of the public, on the opposite carriageway. The child died at the scene.'

The IOPC also said the car had pulled over for 'safety reasons'.

In a tribute a couple of weeks after Tamzin's death, her mother said: 'Tamzin was the most kindest, caring, loving, loyal girl ever.

She was the most honest person I've ever known; she was very special to me.

'She was my shadow from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she went to sleep at night. She was such an intelligent young girl and had such interesting perceptions on things in life.'

She added: 'Tamzin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, so she was unique and saw the world in such a different way.

'Tamzin was my absolute everything and I can't believe she isn't here anymore. She was my world.

'She put her all into absolutely everything.

She loved helping out as a young child, if you set her a task, she would put her all into it and want it just right.

Ms Hall added that her daughter had been diagnosed with autism and had serious mental health issues

'She was always so thoughtful and would put others before herself. She loved the simple things in life, talking and her family. Plus, she absolutely loved chocolate - she was chocolate mad!'

'Tamzin was such a wonderful daughter.

She was a beautiful person.

'My life will never be the same but I'm using my strength for my other children, Tamzin's siblings.

'She was only 17 but she has taught me a lot and I can use that memory and hold on to that.

I will never ever get over it, she was taken far too young.'

References

^ SAM LAWLEY, NEWS REPORTER (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)