Granddaughter of tram crash victim says trial verdict is ‘deflating’

Danielle Wynne’s grandfather Philip Logan, 52, was among seven men killed when a tram derailed in south London on November 9 2016.

The granddaughter of one of the passengers killed in the Croydon tram disaster described the not guilty verdict in the trial of the driver as ‘deflating’ (Steve Parsons/PA) (PA Archive)

The granddaughter of one of the passengers killed in the Croydon tram disaster described the not guilty verdict in the trial of the driver involved as “deflating”.

Danielle Wynne, whose grandfather Philip Logan, 52, was among seven people killed when a tram derailed in south London on November 9 2016, told the PA news agency “there has to be some kind of accountability”.

Tram driver Alfred Dorris, 49, was found not guilty at the Old Bailey of failing to take “reasonable care” of the health and safety of himself and his 69 passengers.

Our family feels truly let down by the justice system

Danielle Wynne

The trial heard the tram was travelling at three times the speed it was supposed to be doing before derailing on a sharp curve at Sandilands.

Ms Wynne, 32, said: “A not guilty verdict to me is like someone stabbing me in the chest.

“It feels so deflating.

“If I got into my car and I did what he did at the speed that he did, then I would go to prison.”

She added: “My grandad and this incident will never be forgotten. It’s a date that’s etched into my mind.

“Our family feels truly let down by the justice system.”

Mr Dorris was arrested following the crash but has not faced criminal charges.

In July 2021, the jury at an inquest concluded that the victims died as a result of an accident and were not unlawfully killed.

Ms Wynne said: “I don’t believe that morning (Mr Dorris) set out to kill anyone. But he did kill people.

“There has to be some kind of accountability.

“As far as I’m concerned, accident or not, he’s taken no accountability for his actions that morning.

“There was only one person who was in control of that tram on that morning, and it was that driver.”

During the trial, Mr Dorris told the jury he did not fall asleep while driving the tram, but was “disorientated”.