Inquest sees footage of fatal car accident (From The Northern Echo)

Inquest sees footage of fatal car accident

10:38am Thursday 9th July 2009 in

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GRAPHIC footage of the moment a father-of-two died when his car was struck by a stolen 4X4 was shown to an inquest jury yesterday.

Filmed from a police helicopter, the footage showed a Mitsubishi L200 trying to outmanoeuvre five patrol cars, before going over the central reservation of the A1(M) into the path of a Peugeot driven by Billy Forrest.

Relatives of Mr Forrest, including his partner, Edna Pate, fought back tears as they watched the moment of the collision, just north of the Bowburn junction, near Durham City.

The footage was shown at the Chester-le-Street inquest into the death of Mr Forrest, 52, of Walbottle, Newcastle.

The hearing was told Barry Taylor, 23, had stolen the Mitsubishi after he took its keys during a burglary in the Chester-le-Street area.

Officers saw him near Newton Aycliffe at about 5.20am on Friday, July 18, last year.

A pursuit lasting 11 miles ensued, with patrol cars attempting to stop him as he travelled north.

In the footage, Taylor can be seen repeatedly swerving as he tries to evade officers.

As the chase approaches the Bowburn junction, a patrol car appears to move to prevent him leaving the A1(M), before Taylor loses control.

Mr Forrest, of Walbottle, Newcastle, was on his way to work at Sense Creativity, in Yarm Road, Darlington, when the crash happened.

Taylor was sentenced at Durham Crown Court to ten years in jail after he admitted burglary and causing death by dangerous driving.

Yesterday, Sergeant Trevor Kelly, of Durham Police, described how he had first seen Taylor as he waited at the Newton Aycliffe junction of the A1(M).

Sgt Kelly said Taylor had driven into the Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate, before he doubled back on himself and headed back to the A1(M).

He told the inquest that he initially followed Taylor without his blue lights or siren, hoping he would give himself up and would pull off of his own account before he reached the motorway.