Inquest into Coniston Water wife killer’s death to open next week
Last updated at 17:16, Tuesday, 12 March 2013
AN inquest into the death of Cumbria "Lady In The Lake" wife killer Gordon Park will take place next week – three years after he was found hanging in his prison cell.
A full investigation was launched by the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman into how the ex-teacher ended up dead in jail on his 66th birthday in January 2010. The ombudsman’s findings will be revealed at the hearing.
Lancashire Coroner’s office confirmed the inquest would start at 11am next Tuesday at Faraday Coroner’s Court in Faraday Drive, Fulwood, Preston, and last four days.
Park died five years after being found guilty of murdering his wife Carol Park – dubbed “The Lady in the Lake”.
She vanished in July 1976 after she and Park had a string of rows.
He always maintained he had taken their children to Blackpool for the day and she had stayed at their home in Leece and simply disappeared.
In fact, he had bludgeoned her to death with an ice axe after she threatened to leave him.
Park waited six weeks before he reported her missing.
The keen sailor had tied up her body and dumped her in 80ft of water.
Divers found her – wearing a summery pinafore dress – trussed up and weighted down in Coniston Water in August 1997.
He was arrested for her murder but the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence. He was re-arrested six years later and stood trial in 2005 at Manchester Crown Court, where he was found guilty of killing his teacher wife.
In November 2008, Park lost his bid to challenge his murder conviction.
His family continue the fight to clear his name and referred his case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in a bid to have his conviction overturned posthumously.
The CCRC, a body which investigates miscarriages of justice in the UK, confirmed they intended to review the file, which is an unusual move as they rarely consider cases in which the person has died.
They normally only take on cases in which someone has been convicted, failed at appeal but subsequently has some new evidence which could cast doubt over the original conviction.
First published at 16:20, Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Have your say
I was working in Barrow at the time & never believed he was guilty
Posted by wbrown on 13 March 2013 at 14:17