- Jack Christian and Lee Perris crashed after consuming drink and drugs
- Took Mr Perris’ mother’s car on an icy night in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
- Police spotted the pair and were concerned as windscreen was obscured
- By the time they caught up seconds later the pair had crashed the VW Polo
- Mr Christian, former Rochdale Rugby Club player, pronounced dead at scene
- His friend Mr Perris, 23, was pronounced dead in the passenger seat of car
- Mr Christian’s mother Nicola described her son as a ‘hard working scholar’
- Inquest at Oldham, Greater Manchester, is expected to last for three days
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A former England youth rugby player and his friend died after their car flipped over several times and crashed into a tree as it was being chased by police.
Jack Christian, 22, and Lee Perris, 23, had been drinking and taking drugs when they took Mr Perris’ mother’s car on an icy night without clearing the windscreen properly.
The pair crashed the VW Polo after taking a bend at around 60mph while in pursuit with a police patrol car, which had its emergency sirens turned on.
Friends Lee Perris (left) and Jack Christian (right) were killed after the car they were driving crashed into tree
Floral tributes left at the scene of the accident in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, after the crash in 2012
At an inquest into the death of the two friends the police officers said they had spotted the car go past them at speed and had concerns because it appeared that the windscreen of the vehicle was obscured by either ice or condensation.
They began to pursue the car but within seconds caught up to the vehicle to find it had crashed.
Witnesses said the car had flipped four times through the air before coming to halt on its roof.
Mr Christian, who ran his own electrician business, was taken from the vehicle, which he was not insured to drive, and resuscitation attempts were made but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Perris was pronounced dead whilst still in the car.
The jury at the four-day inquest in Oldham, Greater Manchester, found that Mr Christian died as a result of a road traffic collision and Mr Perris as a result of an accident.
They ruled that they ‘didn’t know’ if the pair were aware that the police were following them at the time of the crash but they did find that it was the manner of Mr Christian’s driving that contributed to their death.
Reading the jury’s verdict the coroner Lisa Hashmi said: ‘On December 2, 2012 on Bury Rd, Radcliffe the car Mr Christian was driving collided with a tree, as a result of loss of control whilst drinking at excessive speed whilst under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
‘Conclusion, the deceased died as result of a road traffic collision.
‘Lee was travelling as a passenger in a vehicle that subsequently collided with a tree. The deceased died as a result of an accident.’
The inquest heard that Mr Christian and Mr Perris had been drinking on the night at Mr Perris’s flat in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, but had run out of alcohol.
They took at taxi to Mr Christian’s mother’s house, also in Radcliffe, to get more drink before they took the keys to his mother’s car and attempted to drive back to Mr Perri’s flat.
The jury was told that a police car noticed them at around 3.20am on December 2, 2012 and had been concerned that the driver’s visibility was impaired.
After activating the emergency sirens a brief pursuit ensued before officers lost sight of the VW.
Jack Christian, 22, (left) was driving the car which belonged to the mother of Lee Perris, 23, (right)
At an inquest into their deaths, police officers said they had spotted the car go past them at speed and had concerns because it appeared that the windscreen of the vehicle was obscured by either ice or condensation
The car was said to have taken a blind bend in what one witness described as ‘absolutely crazy’ and estimated that the vehicle had been travelling at around 60mph.
The vehicle was then said to have swerved out of control before it flipped four times before crashing into the tree killing both men in a ‘catastrophic collision’.
The inquest heard from Mr Christian’s mother, Nicola Christian who said she had heard the pair come back to her house during the early hours after earlier dropping Mr Christian off at Mr Perris’ flat in Radcliffe.
She told the inquest that in the days before her son’s death she had bought de-icer because the weather ‘had turned’ and which she had kept it in the boot of the car.
The inquest was told that in the early hours of December 2 she was awoken at around 3am to the voices of her son and friend who had appeared ‘jolly’.
She said the pair had not seemed intoxicated and had apologised for waking her up.
A witness, who was travelling in opposite direction at around 3.20am, said it had been ‘a particularly bad night’ in terms of the weather.
Steven Weaver added that it was cold and icy and he had had to keep his van running in order to keep it defrosted because the van had been frozen inside and out.
He said: ‘It was absolutely crazy. He was going far too fast for the road conditions. I thought that he was coming at some speed so I eased off my speed. I didn’t think the guy was going to make the corner. He was on his own side initially. When he started to take the corner he came onto my side. I applied the brakes and pulled over. I’m no professional driver, he was doing at least 60mph round the corner he must have been.’
He added that his car ‘rocked’ as the Polo went past.
Floral tributes were left by friends and family at the scene of the crash in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
The scene of the accident (left) where the car took a bend, left the road and hit a tree before landing on its roof
He added: ‘The windscreen was either condensed or still frozen. The lights seemed to bounce off so I couldn’t see anyone in it. That’s how it appeared. I couldn’t see who was in the car and it was going that fast it past me in a blink of an eye. It came round the corner and then it had gone.’
He said that as he carried on he saw the police vehicle with its blue lights on travelling in the same direction as the VW towards Radcliffe.
He added: ‘I put two and two together with him travelling at speed, I thought, “he is after that fellaâ€. The police car was nowhere near. There was 300-400 yards in between the police car and the VW. I actually thought “why are you driving like that†when the police were so far back. The speed he was going, I felt he was going to have an accident at some point.’
Taxi driver Amjid Farooq said that the VW ‘swung past’ his taxi and crashed around 50 yards in front of him.
He told the inquest: ‘It was coming so fast. It just swung in, he did try to control it but he couldn’t do it. The car flipped over it was right in front of me. I put my brakes on. It just flipped over three or four times at least before it impacted the tree.
‘I was really shocked I couldn’t look at the car. I said to the passenger “did you see thatâ€.
‘Ten seconds after the police came past me. I was just shocked I didn’t remember much.’
A post mortem examination revealed that both men suffered intracranial haemorrhage, skull fractures and multiple soft tissue injuries and bruising.
Toxicology reports showed that the men had taken alcohol, cocaine and amphetamines (MDMA).
Mr Perris was also found to have had cannabis in his system.
Jack Christian’s mother Nicola (white dress) outside Oldham Magistrates court for the inquest into his death
Nicola Christian (right) making her way to son Jack Christian’s inquest, and is supported by family and friends
Tracy Perris (left), mother of Lee Perris, is pictured outside Oldham Magistrates Court with family members
Lee Perris’ girlfriend Jessica Higgs (centre) waited for him to return to his flat on the night of the accident
In a statement read at the inquest Mrs Christian described her son as a ‘hard working scholar’ who left school with good qualifications.
She added that her son was ‘an excellent’ rugby player who had played for Rochdale Rugby Club before he was selected to play for England at the age of 14.
However due to a shoulder injury he quit the sport.
In 2009 he qualified as an electrician and set up his own business, securing contracts for major supermarkets.
Mrs Christian described him as a ‘caring young man with a heart of gold and would do anything for anybody’.
She added: ‘He was very happy with his life, he had a good career and a good circle of friends.’
The court heard that the two friends had been drinking at Mr Perris’ flat in Radcliffe with his girlfriend Jessica Higgs.
She told the inquest that she arrived at the flat at around 10pm and that the men were drinking two bottles of the two litre Frosty Jack cider with cordial.
She added that they were dancing and listening to music but that the men had not seemed intoxicated.
She said that after they had ran out of alcohol and Mr Christian said he had a bottle of alcohol at his house and called a taxi in order to get it.
Miss Higgs said that she gave Mr Perris’enough money to pay for the fare there and back and also gave her bank card so that he could get cigarettes.
She said she remained at the flat but became worried that they had not returned after an hour.
She said: ‘I recall just waiting for a long time. I was watching the telly for about an hour. After an hour I just started to worry and looking out of the window. I was trying to ring but couldn’t get through to either phones. I was messaging Lee on Facebook in case he had access. Watching out all night the roads were white, frosty.
‘I just remember waiting. I think it was about 7am and I just remember hearing a knock on the door. I thought it was them but it was two policemen.’
She added that the weather conditions that night had been ‘really really slippy’.
The inquest, which is expected to last for three days, continues.
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Former England youth rugby player Jack Christian and Lee Perris died after ...
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