An inquest jury has ruled that a young Newham father died by "misadventure" when police chased him through Redbridge against the flow of traffic.

Kayne Gardner, 30, died on the North Circular Road near Waterworks roundabout on October 21, 2018, after colliding in a stolen car head-on with a lorry, the driver of which was uninjured.

At the start of his inquest at Barking Town Hall on July 19, Kayne's grieving partner Bonnie Exley told the jury he made “bad choices with his friends” because he “craved acceptance” but had recently decided to change.

Summarising the evidence on the final day of the inquest on July 23, coroner Ian Wade QC repeatedly emphasised that he felt it was Kayne’s choices that led to his tragic death.

He told the jury Kayne chose not to stop for the blue lights on two good tyres and two burst tyres and over three times the drink-drive limit.

“You should ask yourself: 'Who was creating the danger?' The evidence appears to be that Kayne chose the most dangerous course through this episode," he said.

The family’s legal representation argued Kayne only made his dangerous choices because he was chased by police and would have left the wrong side of the carriageway if officers stopped.

However, the jury heard arguments from multiple police witnesses that the officer pursuing Kayne was duty-bound to do so because of the risk his driving posed to others on the road.

Speaking after the jury had left the court, coroner Wade added that he had not heard evidence of any police behaviour that “caused or contributed to this very tragic death”.