Verdict on Todd just seems odd

Oct 12 2008 by Ken Oxley, Sunday Sun

APPARENTLY Michael Todd — the philandering police chief who froze to death on Mount Snowdon — did not commit suicide.

I must admit I’m puzzled as to how the coroner reached that verdict.

The inquest, which ended this week, heard how Mr Todd had browsed suicide websites just days before his death.

He was found on the mountain without his jacket, covered in snow, having downed half a bottle of gin and Nytol sleeping tablets.

He had sent text messages to the numerous women in his life . . . and his carefully chosen words appear to leave little doubt about his intentions. One message read: “I’m sorry for what I have done. Forgive me in another life.” Another said: “I’m just saying goodbye. I’m not going to see you again” and a third text read: “Not your fault . . . remember the good times.” This strikes me as clear evidence that Mr Todd intended to kill himself, but clearly I’m wrong because the coroner recorded a “narrative verdict”.

Such verdicts were only introduced to inquests four years ago and tend to be used in very complex cases. They provide a factual record of the circumstances leading up to a person’s death.

I have no desire to judge Mr Todd. His tangled personal life was a matter for his own conscience. Nor do I wish to cast aspersions on the professional judgment of the coroner.

But I can’t help but wonder whether there was a large insurance payout or pension entitlement riding on the outcome of the inquest . . . and that the verdict might have been arrived at with the needs of Mr Todd’s widow in mind every bit as much as the public interest.