A man who died after crashing into a wall following a police chase through Rochester had been carrying drugs, an inquest heard.

Peter O'Reilly failed to stop for police officers in Delce Road on July 25, and was chased to Maidstone Road, where he crashed into a stone wall, outside the Watts Almhouses.

A post mortem conducted by Dr David Rouse found that Mr O'Reilly had traces of cocaine and heroin in his system when he died.

Dr Rouse also found a package containing drugs in Mr O'Reilly's body.

The inquest heard the traces of drugs in Mr O'Reilly's system could have been caused by the package.

Dr Rouse also found that Mr O'Reilly, 45, of Luton Road, Chatham, had a fractured skull, a bleed on the brain and other fractures over his body. He concluded that Mr O'Reilly died of multiple injuries.

PC Sam Negus, from Medway police community team was driving the police car which was following Mr O'Reilly at the time of his death.

He told the jury of seven women and four men that he had started to follow the black Ford Focus, at around 6.50pm as the car was thought to have been involved in supplying drugs across the Medway Towns.

PC Negus said, he, along with PC Simon Parkin, and PC Peter Synczysz, who were in the car with him, followed Mr Reilly’s car up City Way towards The Cut, before attempting to stop the car in Delce Road.

PC Negus followed Mr O’Reilly onto Maidstone Road and saw the car beginning to fishtail.

The police officers lost sight of him as he drove round a bend, but when they came round the corner, the car fishtailed again, and Mr O’Reilly lost control and crashed into the wall outside the Watts Almhouses.

Both PC Parkin and PC Synczysz performed chest compressions on Mr O’Reilly after they rescued him from the car, but said he was not breathing when they removed him from the vehicle.

PC Synczysz said: “His teeth were chipped and he had blood around his mouth.
“There was liquid coming out the car and we moved him away as we were concerned it would explode.”

Mr O'Reilly was pronounced dead at the scene at 7.22pm.

The jury concluded that Mr O'Reilly's death was due to an accident.

Senior coroner Rachel Redman said: "PC Negus has been exonerated of any blame in Mr O'Reilly's death."

Sgt Glyn Walker, from the collision investigation unit, said:"Officers from the serious collision investigation unit have conducted a full and through investigation into the circumstances of the collision.

"The report was handed to the coroner who has concluded that this was an accidental death."