A drink and drug-fuelled driver and one of his passengers died in a road traffic collision after being pursued by police and travelling at up to 102mph on a 30mph road, an inquest has heard.
Connor Davison, 25, was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol while driving a stolen VW Golf in Newcastle. Steven McGlasson was a front seat passenger and Andrew Peter Milburn, 28, was in the back of the vehicle.
Mr Davison, who lived in Hartlepool, and Mr Milburn, from Ryton, Gateshead, died after the car collided with a Honda, which was being driven by Julia Waddell, on Barrack Road. The crash occurred just before 9am on July 25 last year.
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An inquest into their deaths heard how the stolen vehicle had been followed by an unmarked police car, containing two officers from Northumbria Police, but they had decided to abort the pursuit before the collision took place due to Mr Davison's driving.
A police investigation revealed that the car had been travelling at between 99mph and 102mph on Barrack Road, which has a 30mph speed limit, and had failed to slow down as it approached traffic lights.
Newcastle Coroner's Court heard how the car, which had been reported stolen from Darlington by Durham Police, was initially caught on camera near The Badger pub near Newcastle Airport.
Two officers travelling in a police van were alerted to the stolen vehicle, which was reported to have been taken from a family member. One of them attempted to approach the driver at the Shell garage near the airport and ask them how they were in possession of the car, however they made off from the scene.
PC Richard Good, who was in the police van with a colleague, said they were unable to pursue the vehicle as the van they were travelling in wasn't suitable for a pursuit. He said they passed information about which direction the car was heading to other members of the force.
The coroner's court heard how two other police officers went out in an unmarked car to try and stop the car. When they saw the car fail to stop at red traffic light, they obtained authority to pursue the vehicle.
Collision investigator PC Christopher Bevis said the VW Golf had been travelling at between 71mph and 82mph on Kenton Lane, which is a 30mph limit, before it was pursued by the police car.
The court heard how the vehicle was followed by the police car, which had illuminated its lights, as it travelled to Barrack Road. When police reached the area near the BBC studio, they decided to stop the pursuit.
PC Kevin Postings, who was in the car at the time, told the inquest: "The speed was in access of 80mph towards Newcastle city centre, it hadn't slowed at all." He said the driver showed no concern for the traffic lights or pedestrians in the area.
The officer told the inquest that the driving was presenting a significant risk to the public. He said: "I decided at that point it was unsafe to continue to follow the vehicle."
The inquest heard how police then slowed down. They saw the VW Golf crash into a Honda vehicle at another set of traffic lights, located at the junction with Holland Drive, and called for the emergency services. All three men were removed from the car before the engine burst into flames.
The hearing heard how Mr Davison was found to be 11 times over the legal limit for cocaine and one-and-a-half times over the alcohol limit.
Mr McGlasson, who survived the collision, had been summoned to give evidence at the inquest but did not attend. Police officers were sent out by Karen Dilks, Senior Coroner for Newcastle, to track him down but he was not found.
Mr Milburn's parents Neil and Jane, who attended the hearing on Thursday, decided to continue with the hearing in his absence. Mr Davison's family did not attend the inquest.
In a statement, read to the court by the coroner, Mr Milburn's parents told the court how their son, who was known as Andy, was brought up in a caring and loving family. They said he was a talented footballer as a child and a Newcastle United fan.
They said he worked hard as a sales advisor in the winter so he could spend the summers working in Zante, Greece. She said he had recently settled down after meeting his partner Demi.
Their statement explained how he had been "taken from us in a tragic set of circumstances" and he is "never forgotten".
Following the collision, the incident was investigated by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC). Paul Whitaker gave evidence to the court on behalf of the police watchdog.
He told the coroner that they did not identify any action, in the main thrust of their investigation, which needed to be taken.
The inquest heard how the driver of the Honda was working at the blood donor service and was going on a call to Alnwick in Northumberland on the day of the collision.
Ms Waddell said she can't remember anything from the day of the accident. She said: "I have lost parts of my memory going back about six months prior to the incident."
Pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper told the inquest how he had examined Mr Davison and Mr Milburn following the deaths and they had both suffered unsurvivable injuries.
He concluded that Mr Davison's cause of death was Transection of the Thoracic Aorta and Mr Milburn's cause of death was chest and abdominal injuries.
Coroner Dilks told the inquest: "On the 25th July 2021, Connor Davison drove a VW Golf while under the influence of cocaine and alcohol on roads west of Newcastle upon Tyne. Andrew Peter Milburn was a back seat passenger in the vehicle."
She said police attempted to stop the vehicle and Mr Davison's excessive speed led to a collision with another vehicle. The coroner said: "As a result of the collision Andrew Peter Milburn and Connor Davison suffered unsurvivable injuries which led to their death on Barrick Road in Newcastle on 25th July 2021."
Coroner Dilks concluded that they both died as a result of a road traffic collision. She agreed with the cause of death which had been given to both men by Dr Cooper.
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