Former world champion boxer Ricky Hatton was found dead at home last month, with an inquest into his death opening on Thursday following his funeral last week
An inquest into the sudden death of British boxing legend Ricky Hatton will open on Thursday morning, just over a month after his untimely passing at the age of 46.
The former world champion was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on September 14, sending shockwaves through the sporting world. His funeral was held on Friday, with thousands of mourners lining the streets of Manchester and a host of celebrities attending the service at the city’s cathedral.
A month on from the tragedy, little is known about what happened to Hatton, with his cause of death not yet publicly disclosed. However, some of the circumstances surrounding his death will be revealed on Thursday, after police – who do not suspect foul play – referred the case to the coroner.
The inquest opening is officially scheduled to take place at South Manchester Coroners’ Court in Stockport at 9am on Thursday, and will be held before the area’s senior coroner Alison Mutch.
Inquests are opened by coroners when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a death has occurred due to anything other than natural causes. While there is no precise legal definition of a ‘natural’ cause of death, it is typically described as “death due to a disease running its full course with no other intervening factors.”
An inquest opening is a brief administrative hearing where the coroner officially opens the investigation into the death. The coroner will confirm the identity of the person who has died, as well as the medical cause of death if it is known, while the brief circumstances of the death may also be heard.
The coroner will then determine whether a full inquest needs to take place and adjourn the hearing to a future date for a review or final hearing. A schedule is then established for the next stages of the investigation, including the collection of witness statements and reports, as well as setting a date for any required future hearings.
Hatton was open about his struggles with his mental health, with his 13-year-old daughter Millie’s heartbreaking eulogy at his funeral seeing her ask him: “Why didn’t you reach out?”
Addressing the mourners inside Manchester Cathedral during the service, she said: “I can’t help but think about how you will never walk me down the aisle, how you will never meet my children and your grandchildren, how you won’t be here to see me leave school or even see me grow into an adult.
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“Why did you feel that way? Why didn’t you reach out about how you felt? I genuinely hope you don’t ever think you have let me down, because I would never think that. I love and miss you unconditionally.”
Paul Speak, Hatton’s friend and long-time manager, was the one who found the 46-year-old’s body at his Manchester home when he came round to take him to the airport. Initially thinking the former boxer had simply overslept, it wasn’t until he went upstairs that he discovered the heartbreaking reality.
“The lights weren’t on, which I thought was strange,” he told Boxing News: “I thought he’d overslept, but it’s not unusual. People do oversleep. So, I went inside – I have a key – shouting, ‘Rick, Rick, wake up! I heard music coming from upstairs, so I went upstairs… I took a look at him… I had to take some time to process it.
“I was in a state of shock and confusion and loss and many more emotions,” he added. “Then I called the police and the ambulance. But I firmly believe he didn’t intend to do it. It’s for the coroner to determine, but he had it all to live for.
Source: Mirror
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