Driver killed in harbour plunge had been at centre of stolen trawler alert

A MAN who died after crashing a stolen pick-up truck into a harbour while being followed by police had previously sparked a £30,000 helicopter rescue after drunkenly stealing a trawler.

• Chalk marks trace where the stolen vehicle drove off the edge of the dock at Methil, Fife, killing driver Kevin Purves. Picture: Dan Phillips

The body of the driver, named locally as Kevin Purves, 44, from Methil, Fife, was pulled from the wreckage of the vehicle, which plunged into the water at the town's harbour during the police chase on Wednesday.

It is believed police were trailing the van at the time of the incident, and an investigation has been launched.

Witnesses told how they had watched as the pick-up – which had been stolen from the Forth Road Bridge authority – careered off the jetty at Methil Docks, disappearing under the surface within seconds.

One local said the man "never stood a chance" of surviving the incident, which happened shortly after 4pm.

Divers from Central Scotland Police retrieved the body at about 10pm on Wednesday.

A specialised recovery crew hauled the wrecked vehicle to shore at about 1am yesterday.

Members of Mr Purves's family – thought to have included his father and brother Darren, a window cleaner – later attended the scene with a senior officer.

Central Scotland Police are investigating the incident, because Fife Police was involved in the pursuit before Mr Purves died.

Last night, it emerged Mr Purves had been in trouble with police in the past and appeared in Cupar Sheriff Court after hijacking a fishing boat, sparking a manhunt involving three helicopters.

According to court records from 1989, Mr Purves, who was 23 at the time, had stolen his father's 150,000 trawler two years earlier while under the influence of drink or drugs, sparking a rescue mission that cost the taxpayer 30,000.

On sobering up, he raised the alarm and his father had to be lowered down to the Ina McBain by helicopter, so he could take control of the vessel.

Mr Purves was ordered to pay 7,300 damages.

Yesterday, Fife Police refused to comment on the events that led up to the pick-up entering the water.

Witness Ian Davidson, 59, said he saw two police cars chase a yellow van through Methil docks in Fife, before it ran off the edge and landed in the water.

The design manager at JKF Group Limited, said: "I was in my office when I heard the roaring of an engine. It was deafeningly loud.

"I looked out the window and saw a yellow van go into the water. It was very dramatic. It floated for about 15-20 seconds before sinking. Whoever was inside never stood a chance.

"Two police cars were there in just ten seconds. At first I thought, 'That's strange that they're there so quickly', but I realised there had been two police cars chasing the van.

"It wasn't long before there were five police cars there, but no-one tried to help the driver."

Superintendent John Pow, of Fife Police, said: "The vehicle was being used by Forth Road Bridge staff when it had been stolen earlier in the day.

"Officers from Fife Constabulary had been alerted to the presence of the vehicle on South Road, Methil, shortly before the vehicle entered the water.

"Specialist officers from Central Scotland Police Divers Unit attended and assisted in the recovery of the man's body, which was found in the vehicle."

A police unit had spotted the stolen pick-up truck in Lower Methil near Bawbee Bridge and followed it towards the docks in the Dubbieside district, near East Fife FC's ground.

No details were released yesterday of whether any police sirens or lights had been used during the incident, but the pursuit was not thought to have been at any significant speed, according to sources close to the investigation.

Supt Pow added: "Central Scotland Police have also been invited to review the circumstances of police involvement prior to the vehicle entering the water."

Last night, at their home in Methil, none of Mr Purves's family was willing to comment.

A post-mortem examination was still to be held, police said.