Brothers from Sheffield seen standing arm-in-arm moments before collision which killed them both

John Sharkey, a 76-year-old retired miner also known by his middle name Raymond, and his brother Arthur, aged 79, lived together on Glenorchy Road, on the borders of Nether Edge and Millhouses.

They were crossing their home street, near the junction with Struan Road, on the afternoon of June 2, 2016, when they collided with a blue Audi A4, which was rolling backwards.

Both were taken to hospital but never recovered from their injuries, with John dying on June 17 and his brother passing away a month later on July 18.

Sheffield Coroner's Court was told how Nazem Hussain, who was driving the Audi, had taken a wrong turning and stopped before letting the car roll backwards.

Jurors heard how the driver had told a police officer at the scene: "I hardly touched them. I don't know where they came from."

He said at the time he had checked his mirror and looked around without seeing any pedestrians, before taking his foot off the brake pedal.

"I rolled back about two centimetres when I heard a crunch to the rear, and I got out to find two elderly men lying on the ground at the back of my car," added Mr Hussain.

Mr Hussain was unable to appear in court as he was seriously assaulted on July 17, 2016, when someone deliberately drove at him, and he remains incapacitated by his injuries.

PC Paula Townsend, of Sheffield Serious Collisions Unit, told the court this assault was 'completely unrelated' to the incident in which the brothers were fatally wounded.

She said the Crown Prosecution Service had decided that, given the existing evidence and Mr Hussain's condition, it would not be in the public interest to pursue the case.

Driving instructor Robina Karamdad told the court she had seen the brothers standing by the kerb with their arms linked minutes before the fatal incident. She said she often saw them walking arm-in-arm.

Jurors concluded the brothers had died as a result of a road traffic collision.

They said the siblings had stepped out to cross the road when 'unexpectedly to them' the car started rolling backwards.

"This led to contact with one or both of the brothers, which resulted in them falling onto the carriageway," they continued.

"The injuries they sustained from the fall ultimately led to their deaths."

Speaking after the collision, neighbours had described the brothers as being withdrawn but 'really nice', with one woman saying she didn't know how one would have survived without the other as they were never seen apart.

They said the brothers, who were both single, had lived in the same house together since they were children.