Jane got her pocket notebook and pen out of her jacket pocket and started asking questions. Abby said she’d just turned seventeen and lived with her parents at 6 Leybourne Road, which was off the bottom end of Woodville Road. She explained to Abby that the men in the car the police were chasing had just committed an armed robbery at Barclays Bank in the High Road.

‘Did you see what happened here before the police car crashed?’ Jane asked.

‘Yeah, some of it.’

‘I don’t want to keep you too long if your baby’s not well, but it would be helpful if you could tell me what you saw.’

Abby explained she was walking up Woodville Road to the doctor’s surgery when she heard a car crash and tyres screeching. She’d looked up and saw a brown car coming towards her, which was swerving from side to side down the road.

‘Did you see how many people were in the car?’

‘Three, maybe four people, I think, but I don’t know for sure – they passed me so quickly. The car hit that parked car over there, then skidded to a halt. A big tall man got out of the front passenger side, then I heard the police siren and saw the police car coming down the road—’

‘Sorry to interrupt you, but can you describe the man who got out of the car?’

‘Not really. He had a mask on his face.’

‘When you say a mask, do you mean a balaclava?’

‘Yeah, that’s right.’

‘Did this man have a gun?’

Abby nodded and trembled as she clutched Daniel to her chest.

‘When I was looking at the police car I heard some bangs and looked back down the road. I could see the man in the mask holding up a gun and shooting at the police car . . . I was terrified I might be shot and screamed, which made Daniel start to cry, then I heard a loud bang like a firework going off and saw the police car skid across the road towards me . . . I just managed to pull Daniel’s pram out of the way in time – the police car was inches from hitting him.’

‘Can you describe the gun, and which hand the man held it in?’

‘Only that it was black, and I think in his right hand.’

‘Do you know how many shots he fired?’

Abby thought about it before answering.

‘Three, I think, but maybe four. It all happened so quickly I can’t be sure.’

‘Did you see anyone else with a gun?’

‘Yes, there was another person who got out of the car – his gun was longer, with two holes at the end.’

Jane knew from the description that this man must have been holding a sawn-off shotgun, and what Abby thought was a firework going off was the shotgun being fired.

‘Can you describe him?’