An inquest has been opened into the death of a 23-year-old man who was stabbed during a brawl.

Craig Stephenson, 23, who survived a police chase car smash that killed his friend in February, suffered a single stab wound to his chest during a disturbance on Keith Road, in Middlesbrough's Grove Hill, last month.

Evidence of formal identification was given by Karen Jill Kett, his 43-year-old mother of Ashfield Avenue, Middlesbrough, at the opening of an inquest today.

Her son who lived in the same street as his mother and had never worked, died "following an incident in Keith Road, Middlesbrough,'' on April 21. He was taken to the town's James Cook University Hospital where he died later the same day.

Assistant Deputy Teesside Coroner Tony Eastwood adjourned the inquest to a date in the future for further inquiries.

Five young men have been charged by police in connection with Craig Stephenson's death, one of them, charged with his murder.

In February, he had been a passenger in a car pursued by police through the town. The car crashed into trees, and his chum 18-year-old Craig Morris, who suffered head injuries, died later in hospital, when his life support machine was switched off.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is carrying out an investigation into the role of Cleveland Police officers in the car crash.