Barry Wright

Barry Wright was found dead in the River Trent at Castle Donington.

He had been a mental patient and had absconded from Aston Hall Home Office centre three days before his body was found.

It was noted that he had been buried before his body had been identified and that the first that his parents knew of the matter was when they enquired with the police about his disappearance two weeks after his burial and were shown his grave.

It was heard that his body was found on Sunday 30 August 1959 but that at the inquest the Coroner was told that it had been in the water for between three to six months. It was noted that the Coroner had then taken what was described as 'the unusual step' of issuing a certificated for its immediate burial, before it was identified, on the grounds of hygiene, because of its badly decomposed state.

His body was then buried in Loughborough Cemetery.

It was later heard that the advanced state of decomposition and decay would have been brought about by the high temperature of the water where it flowed out from Castle Donington power station, which was said to have been over 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

At his resumed inquest following his identification it was heard that Barry Wright was identified by his overalls that had carried an Aston Hall label and it was added that the identification had satisfied the Coroner.

However, Barry Wright's mother later said, 'When found, he was wearing labelled Aston Hall overalls, but a doctor said they were unable to tell us of his death because the body had not been identified. It seems incredible that they were unable to identify him'.

A policeman said, 'When the body was recovered there was no way of identifying it from physical features. He was not the only absconder from Aston Hall at the time and could easily have changed clothes with someone else'.

After the identification his parents asked that Barry Wright be exhumed so that he could be buried in his home town churchyard at Southwell in Nottinghamshire.

When the Coroner recorded an open verdict at Barry Wright's inquest on Monday 21 September 1959, he asked Barry Wright's parents whether they wished to say anything or ask any questions, but neither of them spoke.