Probe into mystery deaths of two young men

A CORONER is to look into the circumstances surrounding the unexplained deaths of two young men.

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.

The review, held to discuss details and the scope of the inquest, took place on Wednesday, 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 added that the pathologist has informed her through an interim report that the cause of death of both men remains unascertained.

An investigation conducted by Nottinghamshire Police remains ongoing into the deaths of the two men, with one “significant” line of inquiry outstanding, which is around toxicology. Because of this, the coroner officially suspended the inquest proceedings while 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 prevent the coroner from prejudicing the police’s investigation while gathering evidence herself.

The investigations will seek to answer whether the two “unexplained” deaths were linked as well as whether any third parties were involved.

The two inquests have been linked together due to “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.”

Despite the joint inquest, two separate records will be issued for each death, with separate final death certificates containing no reference to the other person. Ms Bower said that, given the circumstances, “this is the safest thing to do”.

The inquest is expected to resume towards the end of the year.