The family of a teenage boy who died after a crash during a "high speed" police chase have opened up on their heartache during a two-year wait for answers over what happened.
Kyle Hudson, 16, also known as Kyle Brotherton, died when the white Toyota Yaris he was driving ploughed into a wall in Bramhall, Stockport.
He was taken to hospital following the crash on Hall Moss Lane in the early hours of November 13, 2020, but he died of his injuries the following day.
READ MORE: Police officers cleared of blame for crash that killed boy, 16
Kyle's friend who was in the car with him survived but was left with a broken hip.
At an inquest into his death, which concluded last month, a jury ruled that the police decision to chase the car was 'appropriate in the circumstances', that 'correct procedure was followed' and 'communication between the officer and the control room was adequate.'
Recording a conclusion that he died in as a result of a road traffic collision, they said: "Kyle was driving a white Toyota Yaris at high speed whilst being pursued by the police at the time of the collision.
"The police pursuit began in the Handforth area of Cheshire less than two minutes earlier. Kyle and a passenger were spotted driving at speed towards Stanley Road in Stockport.
"There had been an attempted burglary in the Handforth area and the officer in the police car had reason to suspect that the occupants of the Yaris may be the ones they were looking for in relation to this.
"The officer attempted to stop the Yaris by activating his blue lights and following. This caused the Yaris to speed up.
"The decision to initiate and continue pursuit of the Yaris was appropriate in the circumstances. The correct procedure was followed and communication between the officer and the control room was adequate.
"The fact that the Yaris was being pursued and driving at high speed probably caused the loss of control that caused it to strike the wall.
"The capability of the Yaris itself possibly also caused or contributed to the collision. The lack of a seatbelt was a significant contribution to the severity of the injuries that caused Kyle's death."
Assistant Coroner Adrian Farrow, who oversaw the inquest at South Manchester Coroner's Court in Stockport, said there was no need for him to complete a prevention of future deaths report.
However, he said he would write to Cheshire Police regarding their pursuit policy. The inquest heard that the make and model of the vehicle 'are not part of the risk assessment' officers make when commencing a pursuit, yet the family said they believed that it should be.
Mr Farrow said he would now write to the force 'highlighting' the family's concern and asking them to 'review what special considerations should be made regarding the performance capacity of the vehicle that is or is about to be pursued.'
At the inquest, Kyle's grandfather Graham Hudson described him as the 'perfect grandson.'
He said "from day one" college student Kyle, from Stockport, was "obsessed with cars, speed, excitement, motorbikes" and had a Saturday job working in a garage and body shop.
In a statement, Kyle's mother Gemma Hudson said Kyle "really did love life, and lived life to the max" and that he had never been in trouble with the police before. "He made a mistake and paid the ultimate price," she said.
The family now say they are 'relieved' the inquest process is over, after the jury at a first inquest in March this year, which got underway and heard three days of evidence, was discharged for 'legal reasons' before being heard afresh last month.
However, they said ' nothing about this process was helpful in our case' and that it hadn't helped their overwhelming grief for their 'brightest of stars.'
Following the hearing, they said in a statement: "As a family, we are relieved that the Inquest is over after an almost unprecedented second hearing and a wait of two years. The second inquest was in fact harder to cope with than the first.
"We would like to thank Sam, David, Kelly and the team at Farleys Solicitor’s who valiantly represented the family with humanity, grace, tact and professionalism. The press has also acted with professionalism and integrity.
"We didn’t expect anything positive to come from this hearing. We were proved right, it seems obvious that the system serves those that work for the system and rarely for our citizens."
"Nothing about this process was helpful in our case, yet nothing would have changed the way we feel in our loss," they added.
"We continue to Love our Boy, The Brightest of Stars… Kyle, and we as a family are glad all those involved in this circus are out of our lives regarding Kyle at last. Kyle Andrew Graham Hudson… an expression of the ineffable here on earth."
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it had 'carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation' and that 'the investigation made an organisational learning recommendation to Cheshire Constabulary that defibrillators are available in every Roads and Crime Unit Vehicle.
IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: ““Our thoughts remain with Kyle’s family and friends and all those affected by the tragic incident.
“Our investigation was independent of the police and aimed to understand events leading up to the collision. We found the officers acted appropriately during and after the collision which followed a short pursuit.
“The evidence we gathered was provided to the coroner to assist with the inquest proceedings, which we hope has helped answer some of Kyle’s family’s questions about that day.”
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