Browse Sections

• Education
• Roadworks
• Shipman
• Special reports

Tragic end to high speed police chase

13/12/2006

A JOYRIDER was killed in a horror smash when he lost control of his dad's car during a 90mph police chase.

Dad-of-one Christopher Brook, 26, died instantly when the Saab 9000 Turbo span and crashed into a brick wall in Mossley Road, Ashton in the early hours of the morning.

He was four-times over the drink-drive limit and not wearing a seatbelt, an inquest heard.

His passenger Brett Arnold, 23, was pulled from the blazing vehicle with minor injuries.

Mr Brook's dad, Robert, told the court he had not given permission for his son, who only had a provisional licence, to take the car

"We suspected he'd been drinking and went out looking for him. Unable to find him, we reported the vehicle missing," he said.

At 1.45am, traffic police in Ashton town centre spotted the Saab lurching and "kangaroo-jumping" along Stamford Street on 1 October last year.

When the driver failed to give way at the Oldham Road junction, they set off in pursuit.

Mr Arnold, who had spent the night drinking with Christopher in the Broomstairs pub, said: "I shouted at him to stop but realised he was trying to outrun the police.

"He wasn't wearing a seatbelt but I was wearing mine and holding on to the grabhandle above the door. We nearly lost it on the BT roundabout and I shouted stop again, but he accelerated on to Mossley Road. We span on the bend and crashed. He wasn't moving.

"He was wearing latex gloves and told me to put a pair on because it was his dad's car and he didn't want to leave fingerprints."

The impact catapulted Christopher through the driver's window and left him with massive head injuries, the jury was told.

They were shown a video of the pursuit which showed the car veering dangerously from lane to lane and reaching speeds of 97mph.

Pathologist Philip Lumb said even a surgeon at the scene would not have been able to save his life.

Coroner John Pollard said the car was travelling at "extraordinarily high speed" which was "grossly excessive" for the road condition.

Christopher, an unemployed heating engineer, was suffering from depression and had moved back in with his parents in Whittles Avenue, Denton, after splitting up from his girlfriend. His daughter was just 15 months old when the accident occurred.

Verdict: Accidental death.