Darryl Craig

Darryl Craig was found dead in a stream in Peasholm Glen, Scarborough on the morning of Thursday 14 December 2006 at about 8.30am.

He had died from drowning and his death was considered suspicious. He also had severe bruising to his face and arms with more than 100 injuries including cuts, grazes and bruises, however, the pathologist said that his injuries did not cause his death. It was not known how he had come to be in the stream.

He was partially clothed wearing blue tracksuit bottoms and dark coloured trainers and lying face down in the water. The stream was about 9ft wide and 1ft deep and ran through a deep ravine near to Peasholm Drive and into Peasholm Lake.

He was found by a dog walker.

His ZTE F866 mobile phone was missing.

He was last seen on 11 December 2006 although CCTV footage was found showing him at the Costcutters store in Wreyfield Drive on 13 December 2006 at 1pm. It was also thought that he had been seen later in the Co-op in Newlands at 4.45pm. There were also reports of a bloodied male being seen around the Maple Drive area later that afternoon.

The police said that they were interested in hearing from anyone that had been around Peasholm Glen from about 2pm on Wednesday 13 December 2006 and 8.30am the following day.

Two people were arrested for his murder but there were no convictions. One of the men accused of assaulting Darryl Craig denied doing so but admitted that he had been to Darryl Craig's flat earlier to speak to him. He said that when he had gone to speak to Darryl Craig the door to his flat had been opened and so he had gone in uninvited. He had been charged with inflicting Grievous Bodily Harm on Darryl Craig but the charge was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service because the evidence against him was unreliable.

The police said that the day before he was found dead, his flat at 25A Endcliff Crescent had been burgled.

At his inquest an open verdict was returned. The Coroner said 'It is conceivable that he has been assaulted near to the stream and pushed in or his body has been taken there and he has died of drowning. What was known was that Mr Craig had been assaulted, once or maybe twice, 24 to 48 hours before his death.'. He also ruled out the possibility that Darryl Craig had committed suicide. The Coroner went on to say 'It is possible as a result of the assaults he has suffered some collapse and he has fallen into the stream and drowned. Equally it is conceivable that it is something far more sinister and he has been assaulted at the location by person or persons unknown or has been taken to the location after an assault'.

Darryl Craig had lived in Endcliff Crescent in Scarborough about a mile away from where he was found.