Gary Speed may have killed himself accidentally, rules coroner

By BRIAN FERGUSON
Published on Monday 30 January 2012 21:25

TRAGIC football hero Gary Speed may have killed himself accidentally, a coroner has ruled, as it emerged he had an argument with his wife just hours before his body was discovered.

The former Wales manager’s widow told an inquest that the pair “had words” on the night before he was found dead after they had been to a dinner party at a friend’s house.

Louise Speed revealed he had also texted her about ending his life in the days before she found him hanged at the family home.

Although coroner Nicholas Rheinberg found that the 42-year-old had died by hanging, he said it was not clear whether his death was intentional.

The coroner said it was possible the former Leeds, Newcastle and Everton idol may have “nodded off” while sitting with cable around his neck on the stairs in his garage. Speed was found dead in his garage shortly on 27 November last year.

The inquest was told by Mrs Speed that the father-of-two “talked in terms of taking his life” in text messages four days before his death.

Mrs Speed, 40, said the texts referred to their “ups and downs” but went on about “how important the boys were” and about “moving forward”.

Mr Rheinberg, who recorded a narrative verdict, had earlier told the hearing at Warrington Town Hall that the couple had clearly been going through a “difficult time”.

Mr Speed was appointed as manager of the Welsh team in December 2010 and Mr Rheinberg said: “It’s clear that with the appointment as manager came responsibilities.”

He said Mrs Speed “talked in terms of some stresses, including some stresses within their relationship, partly brought about by forced absences, and clearly the couple were going through something of a difficult time. But nothing that couldn’t be sorted out.”

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

Mr Rheinberg then asked if it was difficult for both of them “spending long periods apart?”

Mrs Speed responded: “Yes.”

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

She responded: “I would say so, yes.”

Mrs Speed said they had been “working through” their “ups and downs”. Mrs Speed told the inquest that the couple had an “exchange of words about something and nothing” after returning home from the dinner party.Mrs Speed said she had tried to go for a drive after the pair had rowed to help clear her mind.

She only drove a short distance before returning home but could not get an answer on his mobile phone and slept in their car after locking herself out. She woke up around 6am and found her husband after noticing that a set of keys were missing where they were usually stored.

On the day before his body was discovered, Speed appeared on BBC1’s Football Focus programme and met up with his friend and former Newcastle United team-mate Alan Shearer, who was in Salford recording BBC’s Match of the Day, before going to his home in Chester.

Shearer told the inquest that “he seemed fine, laughing and joking.”

“Gary didn’t appear worried about anything,” he added.

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