Stuart Hill, 23, and David Dickson, 24, both died in Newark, in August 2023, “about 23 hours apart”, a pre-inquest review hearing was told
A coroner is looking into the mysterious deaths of two young men who died within 23 hours of each other in Newark.
Stuart Hill, 23, and David Dickson, 24, both passed away in August 2023, “about 23 hours apart”, a pre-inquest review hearing was told. The pre-inquest review, a meeting to talk about details and what the inquest will cover, happened on Wednesday, March 27, and was led by Coroner Laurinda Bower at Nottingham Coroner’s Court.
She said: “We were informed of the sudden and unexpected deaths of David and Stewie [Stuart] in very close proximity to one another. These are two young men who were not expected to pass away when they did.” Ms Bower also said that the pathologist has told her through an interim report that the cause of death of both men remains unknown.
Nottinghamshire Police are still investigating the deaths of the two men, with one “significant” line of inquiry outstanding, which is around toxicology, reports Nottinghamshire Live. Because of this, Coroner Bower officially paused her coronial investigation in Wednesday’s hearing while the police inquiries continue.
She said: “The position that leaves me in is so that I’m minded to formally suspend my investigation pursuant to Schedule 1 of the [Coroners and Justice] Act [2009].” This is to stop the coroner from affecting the police’s investigation while she collects evidence herself.
The investigations will try to find out if the two ‘unexplained’ deaths were connected and if any third parties were involved. The two inquests have been linked together because there is ‘a significant overlap in evidence’, the hearing was told. “There is a very real legal risk if I separate them I’m going to miss something or repeat evidence.”
Even though the inquest is joint, two separate records will be issued for each death, with separate final death certificates that don’t mention the other person. Coroner Ms Bower explained that, given the situation, “this is the safest thing to do”. The inquest is expected to start again towards the end of the year.
