A dad-of-two and former firefighter from Bury was found dead in his holiday caravan after not being seen for a week, an inquest heard.
Stephen Marsden, who was born in Bury and worked as a firefighter at Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service but lived in Chorley, tragically passed away earlier this year aged just 57. His ex-wife described him as a 'sociable person who loved to sing and play the guitar'.
The inquest at Cockermouth Coroner’s Court yesterday heard how Stephen was found dead, slumped on the sofa in the living area of his caravan on February 4, 2022. A post-mortem examination found he had consumed a "significant amount of alcohol", reports LancsLive.
The dad-of-two joined the Royal Navy after leaving school and spent time in places including Gibraltar. His ex-wife gave evidence stating that he loved his time in the service and forged lifelong friendships there.
He joined Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service upon leaving the Navy and was stationed at Heywood Fire Station until he retired aged 50. He remained active after that and took up a new career as a personal trainer and fitness instructor.
He and Janet were married for 25 years before getting divorced and the couple had two daughters together - Nicole and Amy. A statement read out on Janet's behalf at the inquest stated: "Steve was a very sociable person who lived to sing and play the guitar. He was the life and soul of the party."
As well as living in Lancashire, Stephen also owned a caravan at Brigham Holiday Park in Cockermouth, Cumbria. He would rent it out a few times a year and a couple were due to stay there from February 4, 2022. Stanley Hindle, who works at the park, explained in a statement that the couple contacted reception when they arrived to find a car outside and no key left in the agreed place.
Mr Hindle said explained he contacted the cleaner who would normally prepare the caravan after a departure and she said she hadn't been booked recently. At this point, Mr Hindle headed to the caravan with spare key but arrived to find the caravan unlocked.
Tragically, Stephen was found dead, slumped on the couch in the living area. Police attended and found no signs of a disturbance, while neighbours said they hadn't seen him for around a week which was considered unusual.
The inquest heard that Stephen had a history of excess alcohol intake but at the last conversation with his GP service said he was only drinking once a month. A post-mortem found he had consumed a "significant amount of alcohol" but there were no other toxicological findings of note.
A medical cause of death was recorded as ischemic heart disease and alcohol intoxication. Recording a conclusion of alcohol-related death, assistant coroner Robert Cohen said: "Stephen Marsden was occupying a caravan of his at a site in Cockermouth at a time when in combination with having drunk a large amount of alcohol, he had a episode of heart failure that caused his death."
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