A man’s refusal to stop for police and the manner of his driving were ruled as factors in his death in a high-speed crash on the M606 following a police pursuit.

Yasib Ali Mahoob died on December 18, 2017, following the early-hours pursuit.

The 34-year-old, a single man who lived on Whitby Avenue, Girlington, collided with the motorway barrier on the bend on to the M62. He died at the scene at around 3.40am.

Prior to that, he had failed to stop for police in Heaton after he was seen reversing on to the main road of the Toller Lane roundabout before driving in the wrong direction.

After an inquest hearing which began last Monday and came to a close on Wednesday, jurors concluded his death was due to an accident, with the manner of his driving, his refusal to stop for police and his ability to control the vehicle as factors.

The hearing, at Bradford Coroners’ Court, sitting at Bradford Crown Court, heard Mr Mahboob had 72 documented injuries, the main ones being to his head and neck, while a toxicology report found he was more than double the drink drive limit and there evidence of cocaine and cannabis use.

It also emerged that a balaclava, knife and hammer were found in the Audi A4 cabriolet, which was not insured and did not have a registered keeper. The jury heard from a forensic collision investigator who outlined how the vehicle Mr Mahboob had been driving was found almost split into two.

Keith Reyner told the inquest: “There was nothing to suggest he had his seatbelt on at the time.”

He added that while he could not ascertain an exact speed the vehicle was travelling at due to a lack of tyre or brake markings left on the road, it was more than 140mph based on evidence from the police officers in the lead pursuit vehicle.

One officer told the inquest: “My assessment of the driver’s actions was that he was showing a great deal of determination to escape and in my view, if someone is trying to escape like that, it’s likely they’ve been involved in crime.”

Footage shown during the inquest showed police following Mr Mahboob’s silver Audi A4 cabriolet on the M606 at speeds of more than 140mph. One member of his family, visibly distressed, accused police of “pushing him and pushing him and pushing him” before the crash.

The officer who had been driving said he was happy with his speed and that he had “backed off” and was not pushing the Audi. PC Wakes, who was in the helicopter and operating the thermal imaging camera at the time, said the distance between the Audi and the lead pursuit vehicle "gets bigger.”

Senior coroner Martin Fleming said he would require more information before making a report to prevent future deaths, particularly in relation to whether the Hub Commander is able to see events in real time. West Yorkshire Police will be required to respond and a decision will then be made.