'Crash driver should be named' - victim's husband

The husband of a "devoted" mother who died in a crash on the A63 has said he believes an inquest should have identified the driver of the stolen vehicle that hit her car.

Three men also died when a BMW, which was travelling at 100mph (160km/h) on the wrong side of the road, hit and fatally injured Alison Clark, 43, in November 2021.

A jury at Hull Coroner's Court returned a conclusion of unlawful killing on Wednesday in relation to Mrs Clark, and ruled the men's death as "misadventure".

Rob Clark, of Elloughton, East Yorkshire, said it was "extremely hard to feel a full sense of justice" without "establishing this primary fact".

The jury found Samuel Connors, 20, William Harty, 20, and Lawrence James, 21, had intentionally driven at excessive speeds in the BMW, but their deaths were not intentional.

The three men, from West Yorkshire, were believed to have been involved in the theft of catalytic converters from vehicles, the inquest heard. Their stolen car came to the attention of police as it was displaying false number plates.

Officers pursued the car, but called off the chase shortly before it was driven up a slip road, taking it on to the wrong side of the A63.

Assistant Coroner Ian Sprakes described how the BMW drove 1.3 miles (2km) towards Hull on the wrong side of the road before colliding with Mrs Clark's Peugeot near a petrol station.

Mr Clark said while he was "satisfied" with the jury's verdict, he was "disheartened" the driver "remains unidentified when we believe this fact could have been uncovered".

He described the actions of the driver as "unjustifiable" and said that by travelling in the wrong direction down the dual carriageway for a "significant distance", he "traumatised many people, robbed several people of their lives and children of their parents".

"He is entirely responsible, in my opinion, for all of the deaths, including those of his friends who were also in the car," Mr Clark added.

An Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) report into Humberside Police's involvement with the incident is due to be published following the conclusion of the inquest.

"We believe errors occurred from the day of the theft of the BMW to the crash, and then in the investigation," Mr Clark said.

He called on the IOPC to reopen its inquiry in light of "new findings" following the inquest.

IOPC regional director Emily Barry said: “Upon conclusion of the investigation in March 2022, we found there was no indication any police officer may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings."

She added the IOPC would reflect on the inquest's findings and "carefully consider" if any of the evidence "may affect the findings of the IOPC investigation".

Mr Clark paid tribute to his late wife. He said she was an "intelligent, kind and loving woman" who was "dearly loved by so many", as demonstrated by the "numerous acts of remembrance" which were made in her honour.

"Her passing has left an immeasurable void in the lives of so many," he added.

Mr Clark's solicitor Ken Brough, of Hodge Jones & Allen, said he aimed to achieve "justice" for the family, "through the civil court if necessary".

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