Dementia patient drove 30 miles wrong way up the M1 before head-on smash killed him and a young dad, 27

A CONFUSED dementia patient drove 30 miles the wrong way up three motorways before a horror head-on smash on the M1 killed him and a young father, an inquest has heard.

Albert Newman 87, was still behind the wheel of his blue Mazda two months after Nottinghamshire police failed to notice his driving licence had been revoked because of his condition.

The OAP drove 30 miles in the wrong direction from junction 9 of the the M42, along the A42 and up the M1 in the early hours of October 12 last year.

His terror drive ended when he smashed into a Ford Transit in the outside lane of the southbound M1 near junction 24 in Lockington, Leics.

The impact seriously injured the van driver Andrew Harrington and killed his passenger Michael Luciw, 27 - dad to baby daughter Elise.

Mr Newman also died.

Mr Harrington, who suffered a broken pelvis, said he was travelling from Ilkeston in Derbyshire to Carlisle with Mr Luciw and joined the M1 minutes before the crash.

He told the hearing: "We were just getting up to 70mph and the next minute I saw a set of headlights.

"I swerved slightly and the next minute it was all over - we were up in the air and landed on the crash barrier."

Earlier Detective Superintendent Jackie Alexander, head of professional standards at Nottinghamshire Police, apologised to the families of Mr Luciw and Mr Newman at the opening of the inquest in Loughborough.

She said: "If there was any way we could have prevented the deaths of your loved ones, then I apologise."

The coroner heard a concerned bank worker tipped off police in August 2015 that the OAP was still driving despite "severe" signs of dementia.

Officers visited his home in Nottingham to check on his welfare - but failed to check a print-out showing he had no valid licence or MoT.

His licence had been revoked in 2013, the inquest heard.

The tragedy followed another bungle by Warwickhire police after drivers saw the pensioner driving on the wrong side of the M42 ust after 2am and called 999.

Call handlers wrongly told Highways England the car was going south when in fact it was heading north, the hearing was told.

Overhead signs then flashed up warnings to drivers in Birmingham to look out for a car driving the wrong way.

But Mr Newman was going in the other direction towards Nottingham.

Witness Pamela Oxlade, who was travelling towards Birmingham airport with her husband, told the inquest: "We were fortunately just past a lorry when suddenly, out of nowhere, there were two balls of light.

"It was really quick and it was just unreal because you couldn't see the outline of the car in the dark.

"I dialled 999 and spoke to a gentleman, explained what had happened and he just said they were aware of it.

"We said we were almost half an hour from the M1 and going towards Birmingham. It was such a great relief to hear that he was aware of it."

Around 20 minutes after the near-miss, Mrs Oxlade spotted motorway signs near Birmingham warning motorists to slow down because of a car travelling in the wrong direction.

Before the crash Mr Newman's car was recorded as being in Nottingham at 11.19pm and he is thought to have joined the M42 via an exit slip road at junction 9 in north Warwickshire.

The inquest was adjourned until December 8 after the coroner requested further information from Nottinghamshire Police and Highways England.

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