A DETECTIVE investigating the deaths of three men in the Birmingham riots told an inquest “significant” CCTV footage had been recovered.

Det Supt Richard Baker said more than 70 officers had also got in excess of 60 witness accounts about the night Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir were mown down in Dudley Road, Winson Green, as they protected their community from looters.

Tariq Jahan spoke at Birmingham Coroners’ Court yesterday to confirm his son Haroon, a mechanic, had been a single man, who lived in Winson Street.

Birmingham coroner Aidan Cotter told him the pathologist had found the 21-year-old had died from a cervical spine injury.

Brothers Mr Ali, aged 30, and Mr Musavir, aged 31, were represented by their uncle Abdullah Khan.

Mr Khan said his nephews both worked as valeters and lived at the same address in Kirby Road. Mr Musavir had been a single man and Mr Ali had a wife called Chansa. Mr Ali was said to have died from a cervical spine injury and his brother from a head injury. All three died as violence spread from Birmingham city centre on August 10.

Det Supt Baker said the men had been hit by at least one car which had left the scene without stopping. It was later found burnt out off Dudley Road. A second car had also been recovered.

In an appeal for more witnesses he said: “We have a strong record of dealing with anonymous witnesses and have experience of this from other complex investigations. If anyone knows the identities of the driver or passengers, that is crucial.”

Mr Cotter decided because it was a “very exceptional” case he would allow the bodies of the three men to be returned to the families sooner than normal, after three working days. He said: “I understand that there is clear evidence both from eye-witnesses and the CCTV as to the circumstances in which these three men sustained these fatal injuries. Their injuries were so severe that there cannot be any argument about whether death resulted from the injuries they received from the car.

“Hopefully the people responsible for the deaths of the three men will be arrested, will be charged and will be prosecuted.”

Adjourning the inquest, he told the families: “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Their families told the inquest the three men would have burial services in this country.

l Detectives have arrested three more people on suspicion of murder and released a 32-year-old man on bail. Two youths, aged 16 and 17, and a 26-year-old man, all from Birmingham, were arrested on Thursday.