Speeding tickets sent to man after his death on the M1

The family of a man who was sent speeding tickets after being fatally struck by a lorry said the letters had caused them "more pain".

Shafiqul Haidhar, 39, was hit while awaiting recovery on the hard shoulder of the M1 in Leicestershire on 23 August last year.

The father of five had been travelling in his own car before being involved in an earlier, unrelated, crash.

His brother said the letters had caused "added trauma".

Mr Haidhar, a maths teacher from Barking in east London, had driven to the county on the day he died.

His family said he was near junction 20 of the motorway when his car crashed into the central reservation.

Leicestershire Police received a call from a member of public at 05:58 BST, and National Highways attended to help Mr Haidhar on to the hard shoulder to wait for recovery.

According to a report from the police watchdog, seen by the BBC, no police resources were assigned and the force log was shut at 06:24.

After learning of the crash, Mr Haidhar's brother - Kaisor Ahmed - said he called Leicestershire Police over concerns about his sibling's mental health and safety.

He claims he called several times and "begged" someone to go to his brother and take him to a safe space.

"I told them he was vulnerable and that it wasn't safe for him to be there because of his mental health," he said.

"I said just take him to a police station or something and I would pick him up."

Later, at 07:47, Mr Haidhar was struck by the lorry and died at the scene.

Following his death, three prosecution notices for speeding were sent by Northamptonshire Police, Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police, to Mr Haidhar's home address.

Mr Ahmed, 42, who was supporting the family at home at the time, said he was left angry and overwhelmed by the letters.

He called Northamptonshire Police to advise them of his brother's death, and the force withdrew its initial letter.

Mr Ahmed also called the Met after a further final notice was sent by the force to his brother's house, and "the offence was immediately cancelled".

However, Thames Valley Police's notices, which were automated - according to the force - were escalated to a court summons.

The case was discontinued in March once Oxford Magistrates' Court was notified, and a letter to confirm the withdrawal was then sent to the family's home, addressed to Mr Haidhar.

Mr Ahmed said: "Why should this be my problem?

"I'm trying to support my family - it's just causing more pain. We should not have to suffer from the added trauma like this.

"The Met Police came to my house to tell me my brother was dead and then they sent these letters."

Thames Valley Police and the Met said they understood the distress caused to Mr Haidhar's family.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "Since the fatal incident was not within Thames Valley Police's jurisdiction, we would not have automatically been notified of [Mr Haidhar's] death, and as such, would not have been in a position where we could discontinue the proceedings any sooner than they were by the court."

A Met spokesperson explained its system automatically generates a new notice if an initial one goes unanswered.

The spokesperson added: "When the team dealing with traffic prosecutions became aware of Mr Haidhar's tragic death, the offence was immediately cancelled."

Mr Haidhar's death is also the subject of an ongoing investigation by the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The IOPC is investigating Leicestershire Police over the calls made to the force by Mr Ahmed about his brother's welfare.

An inquest into Mr Haidhar's death has been suspended while the IOPC inquiry continues.

Leicestershire Police said it was unable to comment due to the ongoing investigation.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.