Inquest into Kelly's death now adjourned

THE government weapons expert David Kelly died as a result of a number of cuts to his left wrist, a coroner confirmed yesterday.

The resumed inquest into the death of 59-year-old Dr Kelly at Oxford Coroner’s Court heard evidence from an amended medical report by a Home Office pathologist.

Nicholas Gardiner, the Oxfordshire coroner told the brief hearing that the report showed the main cause of death was the number of incisions into Dr Kelly’s wrist.

The secondary causes of death were said to be ingestion of the prescription painkiller Co-Proxamol and also, the inquest heard, coronary artery atherosclerosis - hardening of the arteries common in men of Dr Kelly’s age.

Mr Gardiner also used the inquest as an opportunity to clarify the use of cardio electrode pads found on Dr Kelly’s chest at the time of his death, saying they were only used by attending paramedics to detect heart action.

Mr Gardiner said the amount of the painkiller taken by Dr Kelly would not have been sufficient in itself to kill him.

Dr Nicholas Hunt a Home Office pathologist had concluded the main cause of death was haemorrhage caused by a number of incisions with a bladed instrument to the wrist. He later said there were two wounds which would have been fatal, with a number of others found.

Mr Gardiner also said that the electrode pads found were used as standard practice to detect any heart activity adding: "But of course they found none."

Toxicology reports showed that the amount of Co-Proxamol present in Dr Kelly’s body was in excess of that needed to have been taken for therapeutic purposes, the inquest heard.

Mr Gardiner said that because of the ongoing independent judicial review being conducted by Lord Hutton, it was "highly unlikely" that any more evidence would need to be heard by him.

He said he was handing the main investigation into Dr Kelly’s death over to Lord Hutton’s inquiry, to avoid any unnecessary duplication of proceedings and to avoid further distress to his family.

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, has ordered Mr Gardiner to now adjourn the inquest indefinitely under a little used law. The legislation allows a public inquiry chaired or conducted by a judge to "fulfil the function of an inquest". It has previously been used in the cases of judicial inquiries into the Ladbroke Grove rail crash and into serial killer GP Harold Shipman.

Dr Kelly’s body was found on 18 July at a beauty spot close to his home in Southmoor, Oxfordshire.

His body was released to his family on 24 July for his funeral which took place at St Mary’s church in Longworth, Oxfordshire, last Wednesday.