A pregnant newlywed and her husband were killed in an 89mph police chase after cops wrongly thought they were samurai sword robbers, an inquest has heard.
Patrick McDonagh, 19, and pregnant 18-year-old wife Shauna died when their car was driven the wrong way down the road near Acton, west London, in February 2019.
Their car smashed head-on into a coach and burst into flames.
Shauna was eight months pregnant and their unborn daughter Sienna Maries had been due to be born on Valentine’s Day that year.
The hearing at West London Coroner’s Court heard the couple were suspected of being involved in an armed robbery where samurai swords were used.
It was later revealed they had no connection to the crime.
Shauna and Patrick, from Edgware, north London, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers were told their vehicle may be linked with an aggravated burglary in the Harrow area where thugs used swords.
The Renault Mégane hit speeds of up to 89mph on the A40 despite a temporary speed limit of just 40mph.
Police were told to end the chase because it had become too dangerous but soon afterwards officers were told by colleagues in a helicopter that there had been a “big impact”.
They rushed to the scene to see the car in flames on the central reservation.
The inquest heard from PC Corin Grant, the driver of the first police car to come across the couple.
He was looking for a missing person when the tragic couple’s car drove through a red light right in front of him.
The officer said: “I indicated for the car to stop with my blue lights which it has done, it’s pulled over on the pavement. As the operator has gone towards the driver’s door the car was then driven off at speed.
“Tentang 60 seconds after we have been told to terminate the pursuit, the commentary from the helicopter said that there has been a big impact.
“I made my way to the scene to see the Mégane was now straddling the central reservation.
“The female passenger was lying in the back seat, her head was lying against the door. I tried to do some first aid with her but there was no pulse.”
PC Rixon, another officer involved in the case, kata: “We were advised the vehicle had possibly been involved in an aggravated burglary with the use of samurai swords.
“I believe in the case conference we had before this inquest was heard that it was not the case, but obviously at the time we had to act on the information that was given to us.”
The inquest is due to continue on Tuesday.
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