A teen footballer suffered an "unsurvivable" head injury after flipping his car during a high-speed police chase, an inquest has heard. Devonte Scott, 18, was killed when the Ford Fiesta he was driving smashed into two cars on the afternoon of May 16, 2021.
On the first day of an inquest into Devonte's death yesterday, a jury heard he was not wearing a seatbelt and was driving without a licence at the time of the crash. Sergeant Matthew Sale, a road policing officer, said he and colleague PC Matthew Stemp were on patrol in an unmarked police car when they spotted the Fiesta close behind.
He told the court that he believed Devonte was trying to overtake him and that he appeared to be looking at his lap, suggesting he may have been using his mobile phone while driving. Sgt Sale told jurors he decided to pull over to the side of the road to allow the Fiesta to pass in Stretford.
But after overtaking the police car at 37mph, jurors were told that Devonte "continued to accelerate". Sgt Sale said he signalled for the Fiesta to stop and it pulled to the side of the road before performing a U-turn and driving away in the opposite direction.
He explained that the refusal to stop "heightened his suspicion" about whether the car was stolen. As officers gave chase, Devonte reached speeds of up to 70mph as he overtook several vehicles along Urmston Lane.
Sgt Sale told the jury he temporarily lost sight of the Fiesta as it sped away, report Manchester Evening News. Although he reported the pursuit on his police radio, he admitted he did not disclose the speed that the Fiesta was travelling at.
As Devonte attempted to another overtake further along Urmston Lane, the Fiesta smashed into a car. The impact caused the Fiesta to flip into the path of an oncoming Citroen.
The horror crash was caught on dashcam footage, which was played to the jury. Sgt Sale arrived at the scene 23 seconds later and approached the Fiesta and found Devonte unresponsive inside.
Forensic pathologist Dr Jamie Robinson said a post-mortem examination had given Devonte’s cause of death as ‘head injuries’. He added that as well as an "unsurvivable" skull fracture, the teenager had suffered multiple serious injuries, including fractures to his ribs, collar bone, arm and pelvis.
“The pattern of injuries does suggest the seatbelt was not being worn,” Dr Robinson explained. However, he added that even with the use of a seatbelt, it was unlikely Devonte would have survived the crash.
Donna Scott, Devonte’s mother, told the hearing her son’s death had come as a "devastating shock". She added: “It’s just broken everybody, especially his little brother."
Ms Scott revealed that her son was a keen Manchester City fan and played football himself for several teams, including Sale United. She said he enjoyed cooking and was "always smiling". “His smile lit up the room,” she added. “Devonte was a very popular person and had loads of friends. He had a nice personality and was liked by all in the community.”
Ms Scott said she last saw her son on the evening prior to his death when he picked up some items from the family’s home in Old Trafford. He then spent the night at his girlfriend Morgan Masters’ house, jurors heard.
Giving evidence, Ms Masters said she had been helping Devonte revise for his driving theory test, which he was due to take the following month. At about 1pm the next day, she said Devonte announced he was "nipping out for an hour" but did not say where he was going.
Just over half an hour later, Ms Masters received a phone call from a friend informing her that Devonte had been involved in an accident. Another friend told her that he was being cut from a car, jurors heard.
After hearing what had happened, Ms Masters said her "whole world fell apart". “I can’t even begin to explain the impact Devante’s tragic death has had on me,” she said. “He was my soul mate, life partner and best friend. He had a heart of gold, was kind and loving and was truly beautiful inside and out.”
Ms Masters said she and Devonte shared a "special relationship" and were due to go on their first holiday together in August to celebrate their anniversary. She added that they "wanted to build a future" together and were looking for their own place to live.
“I miss Devonte more and more every day,” Ms Masters said. “I go to his grave every day and wonder what out future would have been like. We had it all planned and that will never become reality.”
Ms Masters told jurors she did not know why Devonte was in the car and was not aware of him ever having driven except for in lessons. The inquest has been listed for five days and is being held before coroner Chris Morris. Proceedings continue.
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