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TRAGEDY: Nathan Owen
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Police: a mistake was made
by Brian Lashley8/10/2008
POLICE have admitted they ‘overreacted’ after being given the wrong information about a disturbance which led to the death of a promising young footballer, an inquest heard.
Nathan Owen, 16, from Droylsden, died after being hit by a vehicle while trying to run across the M60 motorway in Ashton last October.
He was with two friends trying to cross the carriageway after fleeing from police.
Nathan and three pals had been out drinking alcopops and lager and watching football in The Star pub, Ashton before the accident, an inquest heard.
The boys were later involved in a confrontation with a security guard at Hollywood Bowl, Ashton. One of the group, Ryan Knott, 16, was thrown out of the venue for messing with a basketball game.
Outside, the boys were involved in a "shouting and swearing" match with the security guard and police were called.
A police van raced to the scene with blue lights flashing after being told by the CCTV control room it was "kicking off".
One police constable, a special constable and two police community support officers believed they were responding to a fight and when youths were spotted fleeing, gave chase on foot.
Nathan, Ryan Knott and Liam Warner, 16, ran down a grass embankment towards the motorway.
Sergeant Tariq Butt, who was unaware of the fatal accident at the time, said the security guard later described the incident as "something or nothing that doesn’t matter".
Coroner John Pollard asked him if the uncorroborated details they received led to the general overreaction based on unreliable information.
Sgt Butt, who was a regular constable at the time of the incident, said: "In hindsight, yes."
PCSO Lisa Riley said they would not have reacted the way they did if they had been told it was because of a person messing with a game.
In the last telephone conversation with her son, Nathan’s mother, Pam, urged him to be careful.
Ryan Knott said the three boys made it to the central reservation of the motorway and his two friends were in front of him. He ran across and heard "a bit of a noise" behind him.
He said: "Having got across I heard this noise, but I didn’t see or hear what happened. I met Liam at the top of the hill and we didn’t know what had happened."
Nathan was talent-spotted by Manchester United Football Academy at the age eight and later went on to the Bury School of Excellence, where he was captain of the junior team.
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9/10/2008 at 21:17