Four young men who perished in a devastating crash in Huyton “died of multiple injuries”. Jack Diggle, 23, Ben Dooley, 23, Andrew Roberts, 24, and Craig Shackleton-Brady, 26, lost their lives when the black Cupra Formentor in which they were travelling left East Prescot Road, at its junction with Liverpool Road, Huyton, and collided with a lamppost in the early hours of 24 July.
Inquests into the deaths of the four men were opened on Wednesday morning (12 August) at Bootle Town Hall. The coroners’ court was told: “At approximately 1.54am on Friday, July 24 a single vehicle collision occurred on the East Prescot Road between Ashover Avenue and Dinas Lane resulting in the deaths of four of the five occupants.”
Liam Moss, senior coroners’ officer, informed the court that Home Office post-mortems were conducted on 26 July, with the cause of death in all four cases recorded as “multiple injuries”.
The court heard that the four men were initially identified via their dental records, before being further confirmed through distinguishing body markings and clothing they had been seen wearing on CCTV footage captured earlier that evening.
Mr Diggle, of Alundale Road in West Derby, Mr Shackleton-Brady, of Old Riding in Dovecot, and Mr Dooley, of Greenvalley Road in Stockbridge Village, were all identified by their mothers. Mr Roberts, of Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot, was identified by his cousin, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Mr Moss confirmed that a suspect had been charged with four counts of aiding and abetting causing death by dangerous driving. The ECHO previously reported that James Diggle, 27 and of Alundale Road, was charged following his release from hospital.
He did not enter a plea during his brief appearance at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and was remanded in custody to appear next at Liverpool Crown Court on September 7.
Anita Bhardwaj, senior coroner Sefton, Knowsley and St Helens, said today: “I will formally open the investigation and inquests touching on the deaths of the four gentlemen. I understand as mentioned that someone has been charged.
“I’m going to suspend the investigation and inquests so as to await the outcome of the criminal proceedings. I understand all families have been spoken to and are fully aware of the proceedings.”
Ms Bhardwaj confirmed that the bodies of all four men had been released, with cremation certificates issued for Jack Diggle, Mr Dooley and Mr Roberts, while a burial certificate had been issued for Mr Shackleton-Brady.
No family members were present at the hearing, which lasted just 10 minutes.
An inquest is a publicly-held fact-finding inquiry, overseen by a coroner, with the aim of establishing the circumstances surrounding an unexplained or unnatural death. The coroner is responsible for addressing four fundamental questions throughout their investigation — who died; where they died; when they died; and how they died.
Jack Diggle’s mother described her son, a devoted Everton FC fan who loved both watching and playing darts, as being fortunate to have a “wonderful” circle of friends. She said Jack’s death had “left a hole” in the lives and hearts of all who knew him that can “never be filled”.
His family added: “We will carry him with us every day and miss him for the rest of our lives.”
Mr Dooley’s mother recalled the sports psychology student as the “kindest person I knew with a heart of gold”, while his sister Demi remembered him as “the one who always gave me advice and looked out for me, the most caring, kindest person in the world”. She added: “My heart is broken.”
Mr Roberts’ mother called her son “my beautiful blue-eyed boy” and added “my life will never be the same with you not here”. His father said: “You were the world to me…and the best son anyone could ask for. I can’t imagine life without you.”
His brothers, Carl and Thomas, remembered “Pip” as the “glue to our crazy family”.
Mr Shackleton-Brady’s sister, Kelsey, described her younger brother, who worked as a warehouse operator, as “one of the kindest and gentlest people you could ever meet”, while the Dovecot man’s long-term partner, Ellie Jones, who was also the mother of their young children, Phoebe and Archie, said: “He was my life, my rock. I don’t know life without him.”
Following confirmation of the charge against James Diggle, a Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “As criminal proceedings are now active, we would ask that the public refrain from commenting on, or speculating about, the circumstances of this case online, as this could unintentionally prejudice the judicial process.
“Our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the four men who tragically lost their lives and we ask that their privacy is respected at this extremely difficult time.”
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