Ricky Hatton’s tearful family hugged in court as a coroner said she was not satisfied he intended to take his own life.
An inquest heard boxing champ Ricky, 46, was found hanged at his home on September 14 last year. His body was found in the games room of his £1.7million mansion. There was an open bottle and a half drunk glass of wine on the bar. But senior coroner Alison Mutch said the boxing legend hadn’t left a note and was intoxicated when he died.
Returning a narrative verdict at South Manchester coroner’s court she said there was also microscopic evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) – also known as ‘punch drunk syndrome’ – often common in boxers.
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Looking ahead
He was also “looking forward to the future” having made plans to go on holidays with his family, she said, adding there was no evidence he had “any intention to take his own life”. Ricky’s son Campbell and other family members burst into tears as the findings were returned.
Campbell, 24, attended the inquest with Ricky’s dad Ray and the boxer’s long term friend and manager Paul Speak looking for answers into his unexpected death. Ricky’s ex, Jennifer Dooley, mother to his daughters Millie, 13, and Fearne, 12, was also there.
The coroner said Ricky’s family had: “Lost a much loved family member and are still grieving.” She said he was a family man at heart who “clearly loved his family very much”. He had “incredible success in his career as a boxer but his family remained the most important thing in his life.” It was “very clear that his family loved him very much”.
She said his children “miss him most of all” but also for parents “it is a tragedy no parent ever expects to bury their child”. She told Ricky’s dad she was very sorry that the and wife Carol have lost your son The coroner said Ricky was looking forward to the future. He was going away with girls to see him box in Dubai: “He was clearly a man who was looking forwards and making plans.”
‘Cold’ body
He had been out with daughters and granddaughter for a meal and all appeared well – he was his normal self and had a lovely time out. At the time of his death he was living alone. On September 14 last year police were called to address after Mr Speak called at the property. Mr Speak let himself in and “very sadly” found Mr Ricky’s “cold” body.
Nothing suspicious was found in the police investigation. Nothing to suggest third party involvement. The coroner said no notes were found in the address or any information that Mr Hatton had expressed any intention to take his own life.
Post mortem found he was well over twice the drink drive limit. It found evidence of previous cocaine use and some of cannabis in his system. There were no significant abnormalities to his brain seen with the naked eye. But under the microscope there was a degree of CTE.
‘Sad eyes’
A statement read on behalf of Ricky’s mum Carol said she last saw her son two days before he died. They talked about him returning to the ring and him selling his house. She said he spoke about living alone, roaming about the house and the children not being there to use the pool. She said his “eyes were sad”.
Her statement said “the last hug he gave me almost broke my ribs”. He was planning to visit them when he returned from Dubai. He wasn’t happy about his finances and wanted to discuss them with his dad.
A statement from Ricky’s son said his dad was: “Very happy, always very laid back except when it came to sport or competition” when he had a “huge determination to win and be the best”. He said his dad: “Lived life in and out of the ring at 110%, adding “In ring he was fearless, outside he did struggle with it and tried to avoid conflict.”
Campbell said post-boxing, his dad had mental health battles and issues with alcohol and cocaine. He spoke about these issues as a mental health ambassador and had shown improvement. He said there was a decline in short term memory over the past two to three years.
He would repeat himself constantly and had to write things down. He would forget conversations he’d had with people. On the Friday evening before his death, he appeared in good spirits and was sober. He claimed his brother Matthew had messaged him about a family issue when it was a month old. This showed how confused and forgetful he could be.
Campbell said his dad was the “best he’d been in years and made massive plans for the future” which made them believe his death was “not premeditated”. His dad had also packed bags for a trip to Dubai and arranged to see his mum and dad when back in Manchester. He had also planned other trips to Thailand and other family holidays.
A statement from Jennifer Dooley, on behalf of Ricky’s daughters, said they spent 11 years together and “shared many happy experiences”. Becoming parents was “joyful” for them.
The last time the girls saw Ricky was on the 12th for a pub meal when he was his normal self and had made plans to see them for a birthday celebration.
Daughters ‘spray his aftershave’ to remember him
The impact of his passing had been “profound” for them and they are still continuing to process what happened. She said the girls are “struggling with the finality of the situation they face”. They sleep in his T-shirts, use his pillows and spray his aftershave to remember him. Her statement said “the absence of their father has left a devastating void in their lives”. He was a fun loving dad and the “memories they shared will stay with them forever”.
Det Sgt Helen Grigalis, told the hearing Hatton’s manager, Paul Speak, had called at his house around 6.30am on the Sunday morning of September 14, but got no reply.
After letting himself in with his own key he found the boxer unresponsive in an upstairs games room. Hatton was fully dressed and on the pool table was an empty bottle of wine and a half full glass of wine on the bar. The lights were off but music was playing from a TV.
House secured
Police were called along with an ambulance who confirmed the death, but could not say when Hatton had died. The house was secure with no signs of a disturbance.
Around 6pm on September 12, Hatton had taken both his daughters and granddaughters out for a meal, returning back home at 7.55pm. He sent a message to a friend at 8.05pm and his phone last unlocked at 12.02am early on the Saturday morning of the 13th, with no further phone use. He had been due to attend an event later that day; a boxing bout in Bolton for a boxer he had trained.
A statement from pathologist Dr Neil Papworth said the injuries found and concluded they were ‘consistent with hanging’. The doctor said he found evidence of CTE although this was at the ‘milder end’ of the spectrum of this disease. He noted that as a boxer Mr Hatton ‘received repeated blows to his head’ over his career but he said it was ‘not possible’ to determine the process by which he was affected by CTE.
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