Calthorpe Park E-Scooter Crash: Fleet Boy, 14, Arrested

A 14-year-old boy from Fleet has been arrested over an e-scooter crash in Calthorpe Park that left a four-year-old girl with a serious head injury. The arrest came on Thursday 25 September, 97 days after the collision.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary announced the arrest in a statement published at 5.40pm on Thursday. The force says he remains in custody while its enquiries continue.

What happened in June

Police were called at about 11.15am on Saturday 20 June. The report was that a four-year-old girl had been hit by a boy riding an e-scooter in the park.

The rider did not stop. The girl was taken to hospital and treated for a serious head injury. The force says she has since made a full recovery.

What the boy was arrested on suspicion of

The force lists four offences. He was arrested on suspicion of:

• causing serious injury by dangerous driving
• driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence
• using a motor vehicle on a road or public place without third party insurance
• failing to report an accident, as the driver of a vehicle involved in one

An arrest is not a charge, and nobody has been charged. We will not name him: he is a child, and the force has not named him.

Why an e-scooter counts as a motor vehicle

The last three suspected offences are the ones that apply to cars. That is because the law treats an e-scooter as a powered vehicle.

The government’s guidance is blunt: “It is against the law to use a privately owned electric scooter on public land.” The only legal exception is a hire scooter in an official trial area.

Fleet is not in one. The government’s list of trial areas has 21 entries, and the nearest to Hart is Solent (Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight). So any e-scooter ridden in a Fleet park, on a pavement or on a road is being used illegally.

The same guidance says someone riding one illegally:

• could face a fine
• could get penalty points on their licence
• could have the scooter impounded

What it means for you

If you saw something on 20 June, the force still wants to hear from you. It thanked everyone who has already come forward. Call 101 quoting reference 44260293398, or use the force’s online form for an existing case.

If you have bought, or are thinking of buying, an e-scooter for a child, it can only legally be ridden on private land, with the landowner’s permission. A public park is public land, so Calthorpe Park is not an option.

If you are a parent of young children using the park, nothing in the force’s statement suggests an ongoing risk. It describes a single incident, and an arrest has now been made.

Separately, the force is looking for witnesses to an assault at The Kara on Fleet Road at 8.30pm on Friday 18 September. It says an officer who tried to detain the suspect was grabbed by several customers, and everyone involved then fled. Anyone who was in the restaurant or on Fleet Road at the time can call 101 quoting 44260457841.

For more Fleet travel and safety information, see our Fleet roadworks and travel page and our guide to parking in Fleet.