Family of man shot dead by police on M62 hoping for answers at inquest

Yassar Yakub, 28, was the passenger in an Audi A4 which was surrounded by four unmarked police vehicles at junction 24 of the motorway, in Huddersfield, on January 2 in 2017.

West Yorkshire Police said the officers were conducting an undercover operation, as part of an investigation into a drugs feud, and Mr Yakub was shot because he was seen holding a gun.

According to the force, officers found a loaded Russian Baikal pistol under the seat and a silencer and a bag of ammunition in the glove compartment.

A jury inquest, which will begin at Leeds Crown Court today, will aim to establish exactly what happened and examine the conduct of the police and Mr Yakub.

It is expected to last 10 weeks and will be overseen by Judge Guy Kearl. The family will be represented by four barristers.

An investigation conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that none of the officers committed a criminal offence and none of them should face a disciplinary.

Steve Noonan, the IOPC's Director of Major Investigations, said the full report on the “comprehensive and detailed” investigation has been shared with Mr Yakub’s family, but it will not be made public after the inquest.

Mr Yaqub’s father, Mohammed Yaqub, has always protested his son’s innocence.

The man who was driving the Audi A4 on the night of the shooting, Mohsin Amin, was convicted of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life, following a two-week trial at Leeds Crown Court in 2018, and jailed for 18 years.

The court was told the two men had been travelling in convoy with Rexhino Arapaj and David Butlin, who were in a separate car.

Arapaj and Butlin were found not guilty of conspiracy to possess firearms in 2018, but Butlin was convicted of possession of an offensive weapon, after he was found with a push-knife. He was jailed for 18 months.

The four men were monitored by police as they travelled from the Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield to Cafe de Akbar in Leeds Road, Bradford.

Mr Yakub was in the passenger seat of the white Audi being driven by Amin, while martial arts coach Butlin drove a white VW Scirocco with Mr Arapaj as his front seat passenger.

Jurors were told how Amin and Mr Yakub both entered the restaurant to meet with Mohammed Nisar Khan and Kashif Tahir, while the other two men remained in the Scirocco.

Following the meeting, the two vehicles travelled towards Huddersfield until police stopped them on the M62.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the full report on the IOPC’s investigation will be published after the inquest.