Family in disbelief after man found dead, inquest told
THE heartbroken family of a talented musician who was found dead at home have thanked his friends for their support but said they will always struggle to understand what happened.
Oliver Paul Owen, 31, known as Oli to his friends and family, died at his home in Benllech, Anglesey, on June 26.
The singer and guitar player was found hanging by his mum, Angela Roberts, who has said after an inquest into his death that she “wouldn’t be standing” without the ongoing support of his friends.
The inquest in Caernarfon heard that Oli had seemed like “his normal self ” in the lead-up to his death, with his friends and family saying he gave no-one any reason to believe he was feeling low.
Speaking about her son in a statement which was read out during the hearing, Mrs Roberts said: “He’s always loved the outdoors.
“I used to joke when he was a child that if I never needed him I’d find him up a tree.
“When he was 12 he began having guitar lessons, he would be able to listen to a song and pick it up and he had an amazing voice.
“He carried music with him throughout his life – it was his first love.
“He went to college in Bangor to study music for three years and got his diploma.
“He also enjoyed photography, swimming, surfing and climbing.”
Oli, who was also the lead guitarist in a four-piece band called Bad Dog, then returned to college for a further three years to study welding and became a selfemployed painter and decorator before starting work at the Firecracker Design and Print studio.
“He was a very funny man,” Mrs Roberts added, “he was loving, caring and considerate, a real family man.
“We never had any reason to believe he was feeling low. He never seemed to have any issues or struggles, he was never depressed and there was never anything to suggest he would take his own life.
“I just don’t understand why this has happened.”
The day before Oli passed away his mum said he finished work as normal and returned home for dinner before going to the climbing wall in LlanfairPG.
While giving him a lift to the climbing centre, she said he had spoken to her about his “next project” of buying and renovating a camper van.
On their way home he decided to meet a friend at the Breeze Hill Hotel and his mum dropped him off, where he also met up with his step-sister, Claire.
In her statement, which was read out during the inquest, Claire said Oli was his “usual happy self ” when she saw him at the bar and she didn’t believe he was acting out of the ordinary.
She said: “I was best friends with Oli’s brother, James, and we had all grown up as childhood friends.
“We couldn’t believe it when my dad married his mum.
“He always called me ‘Sis’ and we had a good relationship.
“At around 11.15 he came to talk to me in the smoking area and said goodbye.
“He said, ‘see you later, Sis, catch up with you soon, love you, bye’.”
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard – it’s so out of character, I couldn’t fathom it.
“I’d understand it if he’d been down but he wasn’t, he seemed completely normal.
“I never would think he would do something like this, which makes it all the more difficult to digest.”
Acting senior coroner Katie Sutherland delivered a narrative verdict but concluded that Oli had died as a result of his own actions.
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