'Sufficient doubt' over Sutherland death as coroner returns open verdict at inquest

THE INQUEST into the death of Olympic boxer Darren Sutherland yesterday found that there was “just sufficient doubt” about the circumstances of his death to prevent a verdict of suicide being recorded.

Delivering an open verdict at Croydon Coroner’s Court, Dr Roy Palmer said coroners had to be sure that an individual had “fully intended” to take his own life before returning a suicide verdict.

“The test is very high, one that is comparable to murder, to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt,” he said, adding that “there must be positive evidence and no other explanation”.

Mr Sutherland was found hanged by his manager, Frank Maloney, and physiologist Joe Dunbar at his flat in Bromley in London on September 14th, 2009.

Describing Mr Sutherland, Dr Palmer said he had been depicted during the inquest as happy, always smiling, perfectlymannered and diligent, but panicky, introverted and a worrier.

He was anxious, “full-stop”, said the coroner: “He always tried to be the best he could. He would not want to let anyone down. I think he feared failure.”

Finding that Mr Sutherland died by asphyxiation, the coroner said he was “minded’ to write a report to the boxing authorities to see if anything could be done for young boxers becoming professional.

“Whether anything can be done, I do know not,” he said, before he offered his deep sympathies to the boxer’s family “on their very sad loss”.

Giving evidence, Mr Maloney repeatedly rejected claims that Mr Sutherland was frightened of him, pointing out that the boxer had lived with him and his family for months.

During those months, Mr Maloney and Mr Sutherland had often watched boxing videos in the early hours together because both needed little sleep, he said.

“I would often come down at 4am and Darren would be sitting down making himself some porridge and playing an Xbox,” he told the coroner.

“The only thing that I thought was unusual was that he always wanted reassurance. Was he my favourite fighter? Would he make it?” Mr Maloney told the coroner.

He said he had bought a £245,000 three-bedroom flat in Bromley as an investment, which he offered to Mr Sutherland to live in once an £18,000 refurbishment was completed. However, the boxer was eventually found a flat by his mother, Linda, because she was unhappy about the length of time refurbishment was taking.

“She demanded that Darren move out [of the Maloney home] and that she would find him a flat,” he said. The boxer’s mother subsequently rented a one-bedroom flat in Bromley “looking out over a graveyard”, he said, adding that the one he had offered was far superior.

During a meeting on the Monday before he died, Mr Sutherland had expressed doubts about staying in boxing and talked about becoming a personal fitness trainer.

“I laughed a bit at that and said, ‘You’re a bit beyond that’,” said Mr Maloney, adding that he had offered to make an appointment for the boxer with a counsellor whom he had found helpful.

Rejecting allegations that Mr Sutherland was frightened of him, he told Dr Palmer: “We actually ended up putting our arms around each other.” Mr Sutherland had expressed concerns about losing his income if he stopped boxing and feared that he would have to leave the flat – for which Mr Maloney was paying – and have to return his car.

“He said, ‘But, I will be poor’. I said that ‘that is not my problem. It is your decision. If you want to box I will give you 100 per cent support’,” said Mr Maloney.

He denied that he had sought the return of all of the boxer’s £75,000 signing-on fee, saying Mr Sutherland had served some of the time and that it would have been up to the lawyers to “sort it out”.