Inquest into death of Sheffield man who died in house fire adjourned for two weeks

An inquest into the death of a Sheffield man who died in a house fire has been adjourned by the coroner to allow for further investigation.
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Raymond Abbott, aged 42, died when the house of multiple occupancy he lived in at 466 Handsworth Road was engulfed by fire on November 23, 2019.

An inquest into his death which began today at Sheffield Coroners’ Court had been due to last two days but was adjourned by assistant coroner Abigail Combes for a further two weeks.

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The court today heard from Wayne Sutcliffe, a fire investigator with the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Detective Sergeant Sam Wardman from South Yorkshire Police.

Sheffield Coroner's Court, where the inquest was held .Sheffield Coroner's Court, where the inquest was held .
Sheffield Coroner's Court, where the inquest was held .

Mr Sutcliffe told the court that it was his professional opinion that the fire was caused by a ‘low temperature ignition’ in the void underneath the floorboards of Mr Abbott’s first floor room.

He said he believed this had been caused by wiring which had caused wooden ceiling laths to heat up, potentially over the course of several years, leaving the wood dry and charcoal like.

Mr Sutcliffe was questioned at length by Catherine Ferguson, a lawyer acting on behalf of Sheffield Council.

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She said a separate expert commissioned by the authority - Mark Ross - had come to different conclusions about the origins of the fire, including that the blaze could have been caused by Mr Abbott smoking in bed.

However, Mr Sutcliffe said his investigation had ruled out any other possible cause for the fire and that he stood by his original conclusions.

In adjourning the inquest, Ms Combes said that the issue of who had access to the house between the investigation conducted by Mr Sutcliffe for the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Mr Ross’s much later investigation for Sheffield Council was key.

Some of Mr Ross’s investigations may have taken place up to a year after the fire had happened, she added.

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She gave Ms Ferguson and David Baines - a lawyer acting for Target Housing, the housing association who leased the property to Mr Abbott - two weeks to find the necessary information and prepare statements.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.

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