Police watchdog says officers not at fault over death of man, 25, killed in Huddersfield car crash

Police watchdog investigators have said officers were not at fault over the death of a 25-year-old man who died in a car crash after a vehicle failed to stop for police.

Mohammed Tariq, known as Zafeer, was travelling in a Jaguar XF which failed to stop for police on St Andrew's Road in Huddersfield on 18 August 2022.

It was previously reported that Mr Tariq was the driver of the car, which then went through a red light before colliding with a Mercedes.

Mr Tariq, of Dewsbury, died at the scene, while a passenger in the Jaguar and in the Mercedes suffered injuries.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began investigating after West Yorkshire Police referred itself over the circumstances of the incident.

In a statement, the IOPC said: "We established that on 18 August, a Jaguar XF failed to stop for West Yorkshire Police officers when requested to do so but a pursuit did not take place.

"The Jaguar driver then travelled through a red light signal and collided with a Mercedes being driven by a member of the public.

"Our investigation concluded there was no indication any police officer may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence.

"We shared the evidence gathered during the investigation with the coroner to assist with the inquest, which we hoped helped answer questions Mr Tariq’s loved ones may have had around his death.

"At an inquest in December 2023, the coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death."

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