Police watchdog concludes 'no officers committed an offence' after man shot dead at Ainley Top

Yassar Yaqub was the passenger in a an Audi car when he was shot dead after the car was stopped by officers at junction 24 on January 2 2017.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said its final report into the incident will not be published until after an inquest which is scheduled for January 2022.

Steve Noonan, the IOPC's Director of Major Investigations, said: “Our investigation into the death of Yassar Yaqub concluded in 2019.

"Our detailed final report has been shared with West Yorkshire Police and HM Coroner.

"The outcome of our investigation has been shared with Mr Yaqub’s family and interested parties, while recommendations for learning have also been published on our website.

"A copy of our final report has recently been shared with Mr Yaqub’s family and interested parties.

“Our investigation was comprehensive and detailed. Police were treated as witnesses throughout the investigation and the report did not indicate that any officer may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.

“Due to the investigation’s complexity, as well as a parallel criminal investigation and subsequent trial in late 2018 which restricted our access to a number of key witnesses, there was an inevitable impact on when we could finalise our investigation. We recognise that this will have effected Mr Yaqub’s family.

“It would not be appropriate for the IOPC to publish a report or provide further information until the inquest is concluded. As always, our thoughts remain with all those affected by Mr Yaqub’s death.”