Man found at flat ‘may have been assaulted’

A MAN found dead at a flat in Cardiff may have been assaulted, an inquest heard.

Christopher Fish, 42, was found at his flat on Pant Glas in Pentwyn at around 2.40pm on Saturday, September 23, following reports of a sudden death.

An inquest at Cardiff Coroner’s Court yesterday heard that his cause of death was “indeterminate” and coroner Philip Spinney recorded an open conclusion.

Mr Fish, who grew up in Grangetown, was found on the floor of the bedroom of his flat.

But the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem examination on Mr Fish said it appeared his body had been moved after he had died.

Dr Deryk James said: “He was facing upwards and rather congested. That is the sort of thing that normally happens when someone is faced down.

“It could have been when the emergency services arrived or it could have been he was facing down on the bed and was moved down onto the floor.”

Dr James added that there were small injuries that appeared to look like an assault had taken place.

“In total there are some 37 injuries that I’ve detailed and they are a mixture of splits, grazes and bruises,” he said. “There is a pattern of injuries that doesn’t look like it can all be explained.

“There are a number of injuries on him that are in keeping with him being moved. The majority of them are fresh injuries.

“There are a number of injuries that do suggest assault.”

No one has been charged with any offence in connection to the incident, police confirmed.

Mr Fish was a diabetic man who also suffered from epilepsy, seizures and heart disease. He also had a level of methodone in his body that was enough to kill him, as well as traces of morphine from heroin, cocaine, cannabinoid and other drugs.

The pathologist said they could not be ruled out as possible causes as death and therefore recorded an indeterminate cause of death.

Dr James added: “In coming to a conclusion as to the cause of death, I’m hampered by a number of different possibilities.”

Police and ambulance crews were called to the flat in Pentwyn at 2.40pm on September 23.

Pathologist Dr James said it was likely Mr Fish had died six to eight hours before that.

Neighbours had heard arguing between Mr Fish and his girlfriend Kelly Havard, police said, the night and morning before he was found dead.

Fay Cavanagh, who lived opposite, said she heard “raised voices”.

She said: “Chris was a really quiet person until he met her.

“On September 23 at around 2-3am I could hear raised voices enough to wake me. At 4.50am again I could hear Kelly shouting for him to wake up.

“At 7.40am it was still going on. In all of this I didn’t hear Chris’ voice once. It was always Kelly who was the loud, agitated one.”

Ms Havard told police that on the Saturday she had gone shopping in Cardiff and she was not responsible for his death.

Detective Inspector David Butt read out a summary of her interviews with police.

In it, she told police that on the Friday night that Chris had eaten around 100 Valium tablets before she went to bed in the living room.

She woke up the next day, went shopping and then went into the bedroom when she got back where she found him.

She said he was on the bed and she threw the mattress onto the floor and tried to mop up the blood.

Paramedic Neil Morgan said that when he attended the scene the bedroom was “in complete disarray”.

He said: “There were three pillars and they all appeared to have blood stains on them. There was also a mop by the foot of the bed.

“A chest of drawers appeared to have been smashed. It heightened my feeling that this was suspicious.

“There were further observations that an altercation had taken place.”

Coroner Philip Spinney recorded an open conclusion after an indeterminate cause of death.

His mother, Gaynor Cook, said in a statement that in the days after her death she was “still in a state of shock”.

She said: “Chris was a good child. He was up to mischief but he was a good boy. He was a lovable rogue.”

Ms Cook added that on the day he was found he was due to come to hers for dinner at her home in Grangetown, as he would regularly do.

She said: “He asked if I was cooking and I was. I was expecting him the following day. I was at home when two police came to my house.

“I was still in shock and can’t believe it happened.”