The death of a pensioner killed walking home after Christmas dinner with his family has been labelled a tragedy.
Tony Carroll, 70, had been seen crossing Stanley Road carrying a bag of presents when he was run down by a Merseyside Police car which was responding to an emergency call.
During an pre-inquest hearing today (April 17) the senior Coroner for Liverpool said Tony's death was particularly poignant as he was "a neighbour of the court" in Vauxhall .
Senior Coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, Andre Rebello said: "The case is very close to this court, in that Tony Carroll lived as a neighbour of the court."
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"The coroner serves the locality, I'm not sure I've had a case where I've had to serve the actual society in which the court works," he said.
Adding: "It is very poignant , on Christmas Day last year when I heard about Tony having his Christmas mean and then going home, crossing the road and the tragedy that occured."
Members of Mr Carroll's family were in court for today's hearing as well as representatives for Merseyside Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The IOPC launched an investigation after the crash but their findings have not been published yet.
Mr Carroll had stopped in at his local, The Throstles Nest Hotel on Scotland Road, to see friends before heading home.
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Paying tribute to Mr Carroll after his death his family said he was "the life and soul of the party" and was loved by those who knew him.
In the statement at the time, Mr Carroll's family said: "Tony was a much loved brother and uncle and will be greatly missed by all his family.
"He was always the life and soul of the party, and he lived life the way he wanted to. Tony was much loved by all who knew him for his kindness and generosity in the local community.
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"As a very close knit family we spent Christmas Day together and as he left told us all that he had had the best day ever. This tragedy has devastated all our family and Tony will be remembered in our hearts forever.
"The family request that the media respect our wishes for privacy at this difficult time."
The inquest into Mr Carroll's death will be held with the coroner and a jury who will hear evidence about the circumstances of his death.
A provisional date for a pre-inquest review has been set for September 20, 2018 after which a date for the full inquest will be set.
