Police officers should have stopped high speed chase which ended in teen's death, jury says

A high-speed police chase which ended in the death of a teenage boy should have been stopped, an inquest jury has concluded.

Thomas Patrick Connor, 19, known as Tull, was driving when his Vauxhall Astra van was being chased by officers from GMP, who mistakenly believed it had been involved in a burglary.

The van ploughed into a railway bridge on Red Bank in Manchester city centre in 2019, killing Mr Connor. His family had raised concerns about whether the decision to continue with a chase was proportionate, particularly after the van had developed a flat tyre.

READ MORE: Why did chase ended in tragedy? Family demand answers

A jury concluded after a three day hearing at Manchester Coroners Court that Tull died as a result of a crash during a 'high speed' police chase with a deflated tyre under the influence of alcohol.

And while the jury concluded the decision by police to initiate two separate chases was appropriate, and the level of alcohol Tull had drunk and speed he was driving were significant factors in the crash, the communication between the pursuing officers and the control room was deemed not appropriate.

The decision to continue with the second chase when it was found a tyre on Mr Connor's van was destroyed was also not considered appropriate.

"The speed was excessive with a tyre out," the jury foreman said. He added that the flat tyre "in our view led to circumstances where it was justified to end the pursuit".

Tull had been employed as a landscape gardener and had been planning to move to Australia, having previously travelled there and to Canada. Laura Kelbie, Tull’s sister, told the Manchester Evening News following the inquest that their lives have not been the same since his death.

Ms Kelbie