A coroner yesterday thanked a grieving father for his dignity following the death of his son.
After ruling on the death of popular Billingham man Gavin Duffy, acting Teesside assistant coroner Malcolm Donnelly told his dad Mike: “No words of mine can give you any comfort.”
Quantity surveyor Gavin, 29, died after being struck by a car in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city in the early hours November 23 last year.
An inquest heard how, due to the limited evidence made available to the British Embassy, some questions would remain unanswered.
Addressing Mr Duffy’s father, Mike, Mr Donnelly said: “When people die abroad it is complicated because my jurisdiction only extends to the United Kingdom.
“Mr Duffy had been out for a meal and as he got out of a taxi he has been struck by a motor vehicle.
“I don’t have the power to check these details in any way, such as imposing sanctions; it’s outside my jurisdiction”
Mr Donnelly described how following the incident, a 31-year-old Brazilian driver had been imprisoned for four months and had been told to pay 200,000 United Arab Emirates dirham (£33,760) in blood money to Mr Duffy’s family.
The inquest heard how a post-mortem examination was carried out in Dubai which found that Mr Duffy had died from “multiple injuries”.
However, due to the embalming process carried out on Mr Duffy’s body in the UAE, a British forensic pathologist was unable to establish some details after Mr Duffy’s body was repatriated to the UK.
Mr Donnelly said: “When your son was returned, there had been a post-mortem carried out in Dubai. A separate forensic post-mortem was carried out here by Dr Jennifer Ruth Bolton at the RVI in Newcastle.
“The post-mortem was complicated because your son had been embalmed as can happen when people die abroad.”
Mr Donnelly told the inquest that Dr Bolton was therefore unable to be sure if ethanol found in Mr Duffy’s system had been a result of the embalming process. Therefore Mr Donnelly said the ethanol found in Mr Duffy had, “no evidential value”.
Reading from the British post-mortem, Mr Donnelly said Mr Duffy had suffered injuries “consistent with having been caused by a road traffic incident”.
He continued: “It is likely that Mr Duffy was instantly unconscious with death a short time afterwards.”
In his closing remarks, Mr Donnelly said: “In so far as our being able to ascertain what happened, we’re dependent on the information provided by the embassy.
“It is an unusual conclusion that reflects what we know .
“What I want to be careful of is to record a conclusion that does not reflect badly on Gavin.
“Accidental death possibly implies that Gavin was putting himself in a situation that was a risk but there’s no evidence of that.
“The conclusion I’m going to reach today is that he died as a result of injuries consistent with having been struck by a motor vehicle.”
Addressing Mr Duffy’s father, Mr Donnelly said: “That is of no comfort to you, sir, and I do not pretend for a moment that it is. No words of mine can give you any comfort.
“It must be astonishingly difficult for you, I thank you for your dignity.”
Speaking shortly afterwards, Mr Duffy’s father spoke briefly and said: “The people of Teesside have been wonderful and that has kept us going.”
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