THE FAMILY of a man who died after being deliberately mown down have heard witnesses describe the horrific moment a car smashed into him.

David Lees, aged 23, of Blackley, died at North Manchester General Hospital in October 2006 shortly after a silver car travelling up to 70mph hit him in Middleton Road, Prestwich.

Detectives are treating the death as murder and are still hunting for David’s killers four years on.

An inquest into his death resumed at Bury Magistrates Court on Wednesday, June 15.

On the first day of an anticipated 12-day hearing, Bury coroner Simon Nelson heard evidence from seven witnesses, as David’s parents, Don and Anne, looked on.

One witness was Matthew Wright, of Blackley.

He said that, on the night in question, he and a few friends had gone for a drink in Cheers bar in Middleton Road to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday.

At about 11.30pm, Mr Wright went to a BP garage next door to the bar to buy some chewing gum.

He said: “When I came back towards the forecourt, I noticed that three of my friends, including David were squaring up to some Asian lads.

“There were more of the Asian lads. They were swinging belts. It was a stand off.

“David fell over but he managed to get up and hit the big Asian lad and then the Asian lads all got back into their cars.”

Mr Wright then described how three cars began to circle the section of road as though they were deliberately trying to knock people down.

He said: “It was quite chaotic. People were outside but trying to get off the road.

“I saw David was in the road and my friend, Stephen Hall, shouted ‘get off the road, Leesy’ at him.

"At that point, he turned around and the car hit him. It sent him 40ft in the air. What happened was definitely deliberate."

Another witness, Lee O’Brien, of Blackley, described how, after the impact, he saw a large figure spinning through the air.

He said: “I realised it was David. He was caked in blood. Someone was saying ‘keep him warm, don’t move him’, so I wrapped him in my jacket.

“I got a call on my mobile later that night to say David had died.”

Another witness, Simon Duoba, of Norden, said: “I had seen all three vehicles before.

“The Asian lads had been there before, parked up near the garage, dealing drugs or whatever.

“I think that’s what caused the fight. They were considering it as a base and the people in the bar didn’t like it, because they are outsiders.

“I was holding David’s head after it happened. It was a horrible thing to see. You never forget something like that.”

No witness that spoke on the opening day of the inquest was able to identify the make and model of the car that hit David.

Police have offered a £50,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the conviction of the person responsible for killing David.

The inquest continues.