Inquest date set for Wigan dad killed in car crash after police pursuit

Coroner Timothy Brennand has decided a jury should hear the inquest into the death of Patrick Connors, 36, and his friend Thomas Sharpe, 29.

But Bolton Coroner's Court has delayed all jury inquests until 2022, as it does not currently have enough space to safely fit people into a courtroom while complying with coronavirus regulations.

A new, larger courtroom will be built at Paderborn House in Bolton, but it will not be ready until April.

So the inquest into the deaths of the two men has been scheduled for Monday, May 9.

It is expected to last for seven to nine days, but a jury will be summoned for two weeks in case it overruns.

The date was confirmed during a pre-inquest review held at the coroner's court on Tuesday morning.

Mr Brennand started the hearing by revealing his wife is a senior detective working for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in a non-operational role.

While he did not believe there would be a conflict of interest, he wanted to make those involved in the hearing aware in case they felt otherwise.

GMP's representative had no problem with this and, after taking instructions, the counsel for Mr Sharpe's family agreed. Mr Connors' family was not represented in court.

The hearing looked at the scope of the inquest, which will include the lives of Mr Connors and Mr Sharpe; the events of September 23, 2020, including the lead-up to the police pursuit, the actions of the two men, the circumstances of the collision and national police pursuit policy; and the emergency first aid given to both men and the medical causes of their deaths.

Anonymity will be provided for police officers giving evidence at the inquest and they will appear behind a screen, so only the coroner and advocates for the families can see them.

Footage from the incident, such as from police officers' body-worn cameras, will be pixelated and used to produce a DVD compilation for the men's families and the jury.

It was also decided that a further pre-inquest review will take place on Friday, April 1 to resolve any matters arising before the full hearing.

Mr Connors, who lived in Wigan, and Mr Sharpe, from Salford, were travelling in a Mercedes C class car which was involved in a crash at around 11.40pm on Wednesday, September 23 on Frederick Road in Salford.

Inquiries by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) revealed the emergency lights and siren on an unmarked car from GMP had been used to signal to the Mercedes to stop.

Following a short pursuit along Lower Broughton Street and Frederick Road, the Mercedes collided with two cars, both VW Passats, travelling in the opposite direction.

A large funeral was held at Westwood Cemetery in Ince for loved ones to say goodbye to Mr Connors, who was known as Paddy.

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here