A vulnerable father-of-three who was ‘dumped’ by police at a Metrolink station died after he was hit by a car almost three hours later on a motorway miles away, his mother said.
Benjamin Connor was ‘in no fit state to be left alone’ and had ‘no money, phone or transport at Christmas’, a jury heard as an inquest into his death began more than three years on from the tragedy.
Mr Connor, who was 30 and a trained chef, started chatting and drinking with two men he didn’t know before in a pub in Manchester city centre then had a meal with them in Chinatown just days after Christmas in 2021.
The inquest jury heard all three then went back to the flat of one of the men, Mohammed Ahmed, in Rusholme, but Mr Connor’s ‘behaviour deteriorated’ there and he was ‘asked to leave’.
Mr Ahmed, giving evidence, said Mr Connor was ‘joyful, laughing and joking’ at the JD Wetherspoon pub in Manchester, but ‘flipped’ into ‘extreme aggressiveness’ and went for him with a knife after the three had more drinks at his flat.
Body-worn video footage from one of the officers first at the scene was played to the jury. Mr Ahmed, in the footage, is heard to describe Mr Connor as ‘a psychopath’. He was also asked what the police should do with Mr Connor and whether he supported a prosecution.
Mr Ahmed was heard in the footage telling the officer in the aftermath that Mr Connor ‘needs mental health’ support.
The jury heard Mr Connor was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of seven and later expelled from school. He was said by his mother to be a ‘completely different person’ when he was drinking and taking drugs, but had sought, and received support from, mental health services in the months before he died.
Mr Connor was 30
(Image: Facebook)
Greater Manchester Police officers attended and he was removed from the flat and placed in a police van. The jury was told he was driven by officers to Cornbrook Metrolink station and ‘released’ there at around 1am on December 28, 2021.
Almost three hours later, at 2.40am, he was hit by a car travelling at 60mph on the eastbound M602 in Salford, near Regent Road roundabout between junctions two and three, after apparently being seen walking into oncoming traffic.
The Metrolink station is around two miles away from the scene. On the first day of the inquest at Bolton Coroner’s Court on Monday, it wasn’t said how Mr Connor got to the scene from Cornbrook, or whether he had been arrested.
His mother, Sharon Weir, made two statements and penned a letter to the coroner’s court, but sadly later died, the jury was told.
In one she confirmed identifying her son’s body and in the second, gave an insight into his character and history. But Ms Weir, in her supplementary letter, hit out at the police. Part of the letter was read out by coroner Peter Sigee.
In it Ms Weir said: “I’m in turmoil to say the least. I want to know how and why the police let my son go on that night as it was evident that he was in no fit state to be left alone. I can’t understand why he was not locked up.
“Dumped at Cornbrook station with no money, phone or transport at Christmas. Our family is broken.”
Cornbrook Metrolink station
(Image: ASP)
The inquest heard of three previous suicide attempts by Mr Connor. He was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, but sadly died shortly before 6am that morning.
A pathologist gave a cause of death as subdural haematoma – bruising or bleeding around the brain – caused by a fractured skull. Tests showed alcohol and cannabis present in his urine and blood.
The snippets of police body-worn footage played to the jury showed Mr Connor on the floor of the flat then being handcuffed. He gave the police his name and spelled out his surname, then said he doesn’t have an address. He has blood on his clothing.
The footage also captures an officer speaking to Mr Ahmed, who said Mr Connor was the ‘nicest guy in the world’ when they met in Manchester, but that he had ‘no idea he was excessively violent’.
Mr Ahmed told the officer Mr Connor smashed a plate over his head and how he repeatedly told him to go home.
Giving evidence, Mr Ahmed said he ‘dodged’ the knife. He said: “The police thankfully took him. They did a remarkable job. They did everything they could to make sure my home was safe. They took him away and that’s the last I heard of him.”
The M602
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“He took what he took and it led him to a dark path. This very nice individual…unfortunately we all have demons and his came out through alcohol and led him to do what he did.”
The inquest is likely to examine the actions GMP officers took and the decisions they made. Police officers involved are due to start to give evidence on Tuesday over days.
Mr Ahmed said he was with Mr Connor for about an hour in the pub before his friend arrived. He told the jury he and his friend decided to eat in Chinatown and how they said ‘lets just take him with us’.
But he said that ‘all of a sudden Benjamin just flipped’ when they got back to his flat. “He grabbed a kitchen knife,” he said. “All of a sudden he was stabbing at me. I was lucky to dodge him.”
Ms Weir described her son as ‘the cheekiest, cutest kid with the biggest smile’ in her second statement, and said: “He was a beautiful person who would go out of his way for anyone. But he was a completely different person when he was on drink or drugs.”