No single cause of man’s death at wedding reception – inquest
A“LOVING husband and father” died at a wedding reception due to multiple factors, an inquest has found.
Kerry Morgan, a 40-year-old project manager from Caerphilly, died in the early hours of July 7, 2019, at a family wedding celebration in New Tredegar Rugby Club.
The dad of two had been involved in an altercation in which he was held down by his brother Kelvin Morgan and others who attended the reception after he flew into a rage.
An inquest heard Kerry had mental health issues and had been drinking heavily on the day of his death. Tests on his blood also showed anti-psychotic and anti-depressant medication were in his bloodstream as well as an amount of amphetamine – the latter which had not been prescribed.
Yesterday’s evidence had started with police bodycam footage from the night of Kerry’s death. It showed an officer asking Kelvin questions and telling him the paramedics needed as much information as possible.
When the officer asked if it had just been him restraining Kerry, Kelvin said: “Yes. He’s got mental health issues. He’s been drunk all night and started kicking off at my father.
“My father made a joke, he didn’t understand the joke, and I’ve restrained him. I’ve restrained around the arms and neck area. I’ve put my body on him, nothing more than that. He’s my brother. I’ve put him in the recovery position.”
Kelvin had earlier told the inquest that he did not put pressure on Kerry’s neck. When the coroner asked him about his comments to the police officer, Kelvin replied: “I did say ‘neck’, but obviously my action was shown [in CCTV] to be around the chest area.”
PC Zak Davies said police got a call at 11.45pm reporting “an altercation at the rugby club where a male was going off his head and had to be restrained by others”. Kerry was unconscious when police arrived at 11.54pm.
“When I arrived, I believe Kelvin Morgan was kneeling near Kerry’s head or the top part of his body,” PC
Davies told Gwent Coroner’s Court. “I think there may have been some vomit on the floor at that time but there wasn’t a lot at that point.
“I approached Kerry and could hear he was breathing. If anything I would describe it as snoring, loud and raspy, maybe a little bit laboured. Because he was breathing, I was confident his airway was clear. I do recall he was blue in the face. I believe this was when I arrived.”
The coroner said: “You have someone whose breathing was laboured, who was blue in the face. Were you not concerned to check his airway at that point?”
PC Davies replied: “There was an off-duty paramedic on the scene who said he was still breathing, and I took their word. Someone had already checked, as far as I was aware.”
The officer added Kelvin “made a comment along the lines of: ‘I’ve had to choke him out, it was chaos.’”
PC Davies said he took that to mean Kelvin had put his hands around Kerry’s throat or neck, adding: “I personally would say that meant resulting in rendering him unconscious.”
Police called an ambulance at 12.03am. Before paramedics arrived, PC Davies said Kerry started vomiting and officers turned him over “to make sure his mouth and airway were clear”.
After Kerry vomited, PC Davies said his breathing became “less audible”. Police started giving CPR and when paramedics arrived the officers continued with chest compressions, while paramedics attempted to clear Kerry’s airway. Vomit had entered Kerry’s lungs and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.31am.
When the coroner asked if officers’ actions would have been different had they known about Kerry’s medication, PC Davies replied: “I don’t personally believe it would have made much difference. We called the ambulance fairly quickly.”
The inquest also heard a statement from Dr Hodges, a GP in New Tredegar, who said Kerry had cyclothymia. The GP described this as “alternating and recurring periods of depression and elation, similar to manic depressive disorder but not as severe”.
A pathologist’s report said there was no single cause of death, something that senior coroner Caroline Saunders agreed with.
Recording her verdict, Ms Saunders said: “Kerry Morgan was 40 years old, and described as a gentle giant, loving husband and father. His wife Rebecca informed me he did not normally drink much alcohol, but when he did, he became anxious and his behaviour altered.”
She Kerry’s aggressive state had “necessitated restraint”. The coroner said it was not possible to determine whether it was necessary to apply pressure to Kerry’s neck, framing her conclusion in the “non-judgemental terms” of a narrative conclusion.