Coroner probes deaths of men under investigation

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The apparent suicides of five men who were under police investigation at the time of their deaths are being probed by a coroner.

Robert Cohen is hearing the inquests of five men who died in Cumbria in the space of eight months while on bail for alleged offences.

While their deaths are not linked, the coroner said there was a "common thread" in that all men "appear to have ended their own life at the time when they were being investigated by police".

He said: "There are comparatively a large number of individuals who have died while under police investigation nationally, the purpose is to try and be a constructive part of the conversation about the best way to address this issue."

Cohen added the men had not been convicted of any crimes at the time of their deaths and he was "much more interested in support systems that are or are not available to people in those circumstances."

He said: "It's not my job to rule whether they were being correctly investigated and it's not my job to determine whether the allegations made against them are or are not true."

Cohen heard evidence surrounding the deaths of:

• Andrew Barker, 28, who was found dead in his flat in Kendal on 15 October 2025
• Paul Lodge, 44, from Dalton-in-Furness. He was found dead in his vehicle in Askam-in-Furness on 2 May of this year
• Kory Murgatroyd, 20. He was found dead on 17 May in a Kendal homeless hostel he had been staying at
• Nigel Peter Roper, 60, who was found dead at his home in Kendal on 5 June
• Ruairi Buckley, 50. He was found dead at his home in Threlkeld, near Keswick, on 18 June

All were on bail at the time of their deaths, pending a police investigation.

The first day of the inquest on Thursday heard written evidence surrounding the circumstances of each man's death.

The second and final day of proceedings is expected to hear live witnesses from NHS trusts involved in the care of the men while in custody, local authorities, as well as senior police officers.

Cohen said while he acknowledged guidance from the College of Policing about support available to people under investigation was not drawn up by forces, he was interested to hear evidence about how they were used in practice.

He said he did not believe the guidance was "worth the paper it's written on".

"It's almost comical how unsuitable some of those organisations are to deal with someone who's under investigation for child sexual abuse, they're being referred to Childline and Victim Support - I'm pretty unimpressed by the College of Policing," he said.

The hearing at Workington Coroner's Court was told Barker had been accused of rape.

He had a diagnosis of learning disabilities, autism, ADHD and epilepsy.

He also had a history of anxiety and depression and suffered from seizures, which his mother said got worse when he was stressed.

Evidence from Cumbria Police showed after he was arrested on 20 January he was referred to mental health crisis teams after he told staff he had suicidal thoughts.

He was assessed as not being at immediate risk and was deemed fit to be released on bail, with support from his social worker and family.

His bail was extended three times, the latter five days before his death.

• If you, or someone you know, is struggling with their mental health, then support and information is available at BBC Action Line.

A witness statement from his mother said every time he received communication regarding his bail extension "he thought he was in trouble again" as he could not understand what the letters meant.

In a written statement, Det Con Emma Griffiths said each time the bail was extended, she had spoken to Barker on the phone to explain what was happening and she kept his solicitor informed.

During one of the calls, Barker told her he was struggling with his mental health and needed more support, which Det Con Griffiths said she referred him for.

The inquest heard Barker was turned down for talking therapies in June and was instead referred to drug and alcohol services, following a meeting of the various agencies involved in his care.

A post mortem found his medical cause of death was a high concentration of drug Propanolol in his blood - a medication used to treat a issues including anxiety and heart problems - with epilepsy as a contributing factor.

The inquest heard the drug could cause prolonged seizures in people suffering from epilepsy.

The inquest heard Murgatroyd, a care leaver, was being investigated by police, though details of the alleged offending was not disclosed.

Evidence showed as a result of the allegation he had lost his job as a mechanic, had been isolated by his friends and had lost the support of the family he had been living with for 10 years.

The coroner heard on 29 March police arrested Murgatroyd for driving with excess alcohol after he crashed his car into a lamppost. When officers arrived he was found to be self-harming.

He told police he had drunk eight pints of lager and denied intentionally crashing his car.

He was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital and although he told staff he was not suffering from mental health problems, concerns were raised about his behaviour.

He was referred to mental health services but was discharged to the care of his GP on 11 April after it was deemed he was not a risk to himself or others.

Murgatroyd was placed on bail and evidence from support workers said he did not understand why he was not in custody for the undisclosed offence and told them he felt guilty.

Police deemed his address was no longer suitable and he was taken to a hotel, before care workers with Westmorland and Furness Council arranged a place in a homeless hostel in Kendal for him.

Details of his appointments with support workers showed his mood and behaviour had improved over time and he was actively looking for work.

On 17 May concerns were raised by support staff at the hostel who said they had not seen him for some time.

Evidence from Det Insp Fiona Louise Gray heard he was found dead in his room during a welfare check.

Evidence surrounding the death of Lodge showed he was arrested at the home he shared with his wife and two young daughters in May 2025.

The allegations were not disclosed during the hearing, but the court heard he had lost his job as a result and had to move back in with his parents due to bail conditions imposed after his arrest.

A statement from Lodge's father raised concerns over his arrest.

"His daughters were still there getting ready for school, the officers were quite rude and abrupt," he said.

Evidence from the girls' mother heard they needed counselling after the arrest and were "traumatised".

Lodge's father said he had died a year after being arrested, shortly after a letter had arrived extending his bail once more.

"I believe this letter had driven Paul over the edge - it was like there was no end in sight," he said.

Det Insp Duncan Brooker told the court examination of electronic devices seized from Lodge was taking a long time, meaning his bail needed to be extended for the investigation to continue.

Lodge was described as a "loving and devoted father" who remained heavily involved in his children's lives.

He was found dead in his vehicle in a remote area and his medical cause of death was carbon monoxide toxicity.

Evidence from Roper's family showed he had worked as a shoe repairer but had been dismissed for alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour.

While the court did not hear details of the allegations against him, evidence about his arrest was heard from Tristan Farley, an officer with the internet child abuse team at Lancashire Police.

He was found dead in June at his home after his brother raised concerns about him.

A post-mortem report found paracetamol, codeine and morphine in his system.

The pathologist said they could not be certain the cause of death was not natural, as it had not been possible to take a blood sample due to the condition of the body.

Farley said when he was taken to Kendal police station at the time of his arrest, Roper was asked about his mental health and he said he was not experiencing any concerning thoughts and did not need any support.

Evidence surrounding Buckley's death heard he was arrested on 1 March at his Threlkeld home.

Details of his alleged offending were not disclosed, but a statement from Cumbria Police heard relevant evidence concerned the state of his home, which was covered in dog mess, had black mould and smelled of urine.

"It was deemed there was an immediate risk to children living in the property," a police statement said.

They added there were 10 dogs living there.

A statement from a neighbour said they raised the alarm on 18 June when they found his dogs outside and could not locate Buckley.

When police arrived, they found him hanging inside the home.

The inquest continues.

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