A POLICE motorcyclist on an undercover surveillance operation was killed when a driver pulled out in front of him, a court heard. Pc Kevin Church, who was 46 and lived in Stevenage, suffered fatal injuries when his unmarked Honda Firebird was in collision

A POLICE motorcyclist on an undercover surveillance operation was killed when a driver pulled out in front of him, a court heard.

Pc Kevin Church, who was 46 and lived in Stevenage, suffered fatal injuries when his unmarked Honda Firebird was in collision with a blue Peugeot 406.

He was the only motorcyclist in a team of between 11 and 15 officers tracking a suspect in a car from Hemel Hempstead.

The accident happened as Pc Church, who had been with Herts police since 1977, rode at around 50 miles per hour on the B487 at Redbourn on June 28 last year.

The Peugeot driver, 64-year-old James McGregor, of Green Lane, St Albans, appeared at Amersham Magistrates' Court last Thursday and denied driving without due care and attention.

The court heard that Pc Church was an experienced motorbike rider who trained other officers.

The father of a six-year-old son, he lived with his fiance Jackie in Burghley Close, Stevenage.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rosen told the court that McGregor, a volunteer hospital driver, was taking two people to an appointment at Hemel Hempstead Hospital.

He came out of a minor road and turned right.

In a statement, another undercover officer David Hughes said that the surveillance operation was codenamed Multitude.

On the day of the crash six cars and Pc Church's motorbike were involved in following a suspect.

McGregor was quizzed in the accident and emergency ward at the Hemel hospital.

Pc Christopher Thrale said McGregor told him: "I looked left, looked right and left again and saw the road was clear."

The court was told that McGregor was a man of previous good character who had a clean driving licence.

The case was adjourned for a date to be fixed later this month.