Inquest scheduled into death of dad-of-two badly injured during stag do

The hearing looking into the circumstances of Andy Openshaw's death will begin on Thursday, June 24 at Bolton Coroner's Court and is expected to last for two days.

During a pre-inquest review on Friday, coroner Timothy Brennand said evidence would be heard from witnesses present in court and through written statements read aloud.

There will be evidence from Mr Openshaw's family, a pathologist, police officers and a witness to the event.

Mr Brennand said he was keen for the inquest to take place soon, but felt relatives should be able to attend in person rather than remotely, so scheduled it for the early summer when it was hoped coronavirus restrictions would not prevent them being there.

Mr Openshaw, 34, died in July 2017 at Salford Royal Hospital, three years after the incident in Tenerife which left him fighting for his life.

He was celebrating on the Spanish island in January 2014 when, on his first night, he was found at the bottom of an empty swimming pool with a fractured skull.

Mr Openshaw, from Westleigh, was flown back to the UK after a fund-raising appeal collected £30,000 for his travel costs.

He was initially given just 48 hours to live after arriving at hospital in Tenerife, but his chances of survival dramatically increased when he started treatment at Walton Hospital in Liverpool.

Mr Openshaw's family launched a campaign demanding answers from Spanish police after an investigation concluded he had dived into the empty pool.

They were determined to establish the truth after being told he had been kicked around the eye sockets, the cheekbones, the lower jaw and that he had front temple fractures as well as the main impact to the rear of his head.

The pre-inquest review was told police had concluded their investigation into Mr Openshaw's death and had decided a file would not be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

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