Gary Speed death may have been accidental says coroner (From The Northern Echo)

Gary Speed death may have been accidental says coroner

8:30am Tuesday 31st January 2012 in News

FORMER Newcastle United midfielder Gary Speed may have killed himself accidentally, a coroner said yesterday, as an inquest heard how he had “had words” with his wife hours before his body was discovered.

The 42-year-old and wife Louise had been through “ups and downs” but they were working through their problems, she said.

After the inquest, an emotional statement released on behalf of the family said: “Gary’s memory shines brightly in our thoughts and we will forever remember the wonderful times we shared with him.”

His close friend and Newcastle team-mate Alan Shearer said of Speed’s death: “It just didn’t, and still doesn’t, make sense to me.”

The inquest heard that the Speeds, who married in 1996, were arguing against a background of stresses connected to his job as manager of the Welsh national team, Cheshire Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg was told.

They “had words” in the hours before he was found dead at 7am on Sunday, November 27, last year, after returning home from a party at a friend’s house.

"I was shocked. Gary is probably one of the last people out of my million friends to ever do that. It just didn’t and still doesn’t make sense toever do that. It just didn’t and still doesn’t make sense to me."

Alan Shearer

Mrs Speed told the inquest: “We walked in the house and we had an exchange of words about something and nothing.”

After being locked out and spending the night in her car, Mrs Speed found her husband dead in the garage of their home in Huntington, Cheshire.

Blinking away tears she said: “I went to the window and there I saw him.”

She woke their two boys, who were sleeping upstairs, to let her in the house and called the emergency services.

Mrs Speed said her husband had talked of taking his life in an exchange of texts about five days earlier.

“He talked in terms about taking his own life and then he moved on and talked about moving forward and how important the boys were to him,” she said. It was in the context of the ups and downs of our marriage. The texts went on about our future together and how excited he was about our journey together.”

Asked if the Wales job was forcing him to spend more time away from his family, she replied: “I think he was spending more hours there than he thought he would do initially.”

Mr Rheinberg asked if this had “put some degree of stress” on their relationship.

She replied: “I would say so, yes.”

Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Rheinberg gave the cause of death as hanging but said “the evidence does not sufficiently determine whether this was intentional or accidental”.

He said: “It seems likely that Mr Speed was sitting for some time with a ligature around his neck.

“It may have been that this was some sort of dramatic gesture, not normally in Mr Speed’s character, but nonetheless, a possibility.”

Mr Rheinberg added that it was a “possibility” he was sitting for some time and had “nodded off to sleep” with the ligature still around his neck.

Speed made more than 280 appearances for Newcastle between 1998 and 2004 and also won the old First Division title with childhood club Leeds United in 1991-92 before signing for Everton.

Former Newcastle team mate and close friend Alan Shearer also gave evidence at the Warrington inquest. His statement was read out by the coroner.

Shearer said the two families enjoyed holidays together and on their most recent trip, in August last year, Speed was “more relaxed this year than I have ever seen him”.

But he was aware of a “couple of issues” between Speed and his wife.

“My response was that is usual in a relationship that is so long standing.

“I think he took the advice well as his words were that he was ‘going to give it a go’ and ‘stick in there’.”

Shearer said he last saw Speed at BBC studios the Saturday before he died.

“Gary seemed to be enjoying his job as Wales manager and coped with the pressure well.

“When I left the studio on that Saturday I expected to hear from him on the Monday. On Sunday I got the phone call telling me Gary had died.

“I was shocked. Gary is probably one of the last people out of my million friends to ever do that. It just didn’t and still doesn’t make sense to me.”