A builder who died in a high speed car crash had been involved in an ‘altercation’ outside a pub just moments earlier, an inquest has been told.
Joshua Lowe, 26, suffered ‘catastrophic’ injuries after losing control of a Mercedes GLA 200 in Tameside on the evening of December 10 2021. He died at Salford Royal Hospital a few hours later.
An investigation by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) concluded that the car was being followed by another vehicle, although Sergeant Matthew Waggett, of GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit told Stockport Coroner’s Court that GMP could not say whether the other car was ‘in pursuit’ or ‘driving in tandem’ with Mr Lowe’s Mercedes due to insufficient evidence.
READ MORE : Family's heartbreaking tribute to 'kind, caring and bubbly' man killed in Tameside crash
Ashley Robinson, who told the hearing that he was Mr Lowe’s ‘best mate’ of around 10 years, was in the passenger seat of Mr Lowe’s Mercedes when it crashed but he escaped relatively uninjured. He admitted to being involved in the altercation outside the Railway Inn, in Hyde, and knowing the identities of the other two men but refused to name them.
“I don’t want to answer that question. I can’t be a***d with this to be honest, f*****g hell,” he responded when senior coroner Alison Mutch asked him what they were called.
Ms Mutch addressed Mr Robinson's aggressive tone and swearing, before warning him that he could be in contempt of court if he did not respond. She then asked: “Are you refusing to answer the question because you believe it will incriminate you?” Mr Robinson answered: “Yes.”
CCTV footage showed that Mr Lowe’s Mercedes was speeding at the time of the collision. When asked why this was the case, Mr Robinson said: “We’ve just had an altercation. If the police turn up, me and Josh get arrested
“What normal people do is get away from the scene as quickly as possible. It’s not rocket science.”
Mr Robinson said that he did not pay attention to whether the other car was following them but said that he initially saw it drive away from the pub in the opposite direction. He also claimed that he was trying to get Mr Lowe to slow down.
He added: “He just had tunnel vision. He wasn’t comprehending anything I was saying. He went round the corner too fast and it crashed.”
When Ms Mutch asked Mr Robinson why Mr Lowe did not slow down, he said: “I don’t know. I’m not a mind reader.”
After the crash on Birch Lane, in Dukinfield, Mr Lowe was thrown from the car, through the sunroof. Mr Robinson got out of the car and looked inside before running away as Mr Lowe died in the road. The other car also drove away before emergency services arrived.
Witnesses saw Mr Robinson leaving the scene, Sgt Waggett told the court. One said they heard him say something along the lines of: “You know I’d stay but I can’t” before reaching into the car.
Mr Robinson denied seeing Mr Lowe and reaching into the car. “I looked in the car for Josh, I couldn’t see him so left,” he told Ms Mutch.
When asked if he was not concerned about his friend, Mr Robinson added: “Yeah, that’s why I went back to the car. If he was right there I would have seen him.”
Following Mr Robinson’s evidence, Mr Lowe’s mum Suzanne said: “I did have a million and one questions I wanted to ask him but his whole demeanour has put me off asking him. There’s no loyalty to Josh whatsoever.
“We took him in as family but he can’t say the names of who were chasing Josh. I’m angry. I had nothing bad to say about Ash until all this.
“The least he could do is tell the truth so we could get some closure on this. Josh has died for nothing and nobody was held accountable.”
Sgt Waggett told the hearing that two men were arrested but both gave ‘no comment’ interviews and were released from custody due to insufficient evidence. He said: “There was only one person there and only one person can help with it.
“We visited Ashley Robinson yesterday on the direction of the coroner and offered him the chance to engage with the investigation as a witness but he declined.”
On Mr Robinson fleeing from the scene of the crash, Sgt Waggett added: “[Staying] would have been the moral thing to do but the outcome would not have been different.”
A post mortem from Dr Philip Lumb, a Home Office pathologist, concluded that Mr Lowe died from head, chest and pelvic injuries. Dr Lumb also said that it was likely that he was not wearing a seatbelt.
Meanwhile, a toxicology report revealed that Mr Lowe had alcohol and cocaine in his system at the time of the crash and was slightly over the drink drive limit (81 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood - the legal limit is 80mg per 100ml).
The report read: “The concentration of alcohol detected would be expected to cause impairing effects on an average social drinker with decreased coordination and increased reaction times.”
Reaching a conclusion of ‘road traffic collision’, Ms Mutch said: “There appears to have been a preliminary part to the incident but none of those involved are prepared to explain what it was about. We don’t know the identity of the others involved because those who would be able to assist refused on the basis that it would incriminate them and that is their absolute right under the law."
She continued: "The great tragedy is that he lost control of the vehicle as he came to a bend. He doesn't appear to be wearing a seatbelt.
"The passenger Ashley Robinson walked away from the vehicle leaving his friend and the other vehicle drove off from the scene."
'One of a kind'
Following Mr Lowe's death, his family issued a tribute through GMP, which said: "Josh was so bubbly and he always had a smile on his face. He was so kind and caring and he would have an impact on anyone who met him, whether that is in five minutes or a lifetime.
"He really was one of a kind, and he lit up the room when he walked in with his big Cheshire Cat smile. We are absolutely devastated, words couldn’t even cut it, the pain we are feeling right now is unbearable.”
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News after the hearing, his family added: "You couldn't fault him. He didn't have a bad bone in his body and everyone loved him wherever he went.
"There was so much pain and devastation in the family and the whole community following his death and there's been no justice. All we wanted today was for someone to hold their hands up and say someone was chasing him and if they weren't then he'd still be here today."
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