Stephan Hawes

Stephan Hawes was found dead in a caravan at Boulevard Caravan Site in Shripney on 21 May 1959.

His inquest heard that he died after eating some tablets and a verdict of death by misadventure was returned.

Stephan Hawes's father had taken Stephan Hawes to a caravan in Bognar Regis, leaving his wife in London. Stephan Hawes's inquest later heard that things had got so bad between Stephan Hawes's mother and father that they had decided to live apart.

He said that he had some tablets in his pocket and that Stephan Hawes must have taken them out of his pocket whilst he was out looking for bird eggs and eaten them. He said that he often brought Stephan Hawes sweets and said that Stephan Hawes would often eat them all, putting a large quantity in his mouth at once and that he often went through his pockets looking for them and must have found his tablets and eaten them by mistake.

He added that Stephan Hawes would often eat aspirins and other medicinal tablets one at a time.

Stephan Hawes's father was a Hungarian and was a casemaker and lived in Keith Grove, Shepherd's Bush.

After Stephan Hawes died his father tried to commit suicide for which he was later convicted on Monday 1 June 1959 at Chichester and given a suspended sentence.

It was heard that after finding that Stephan Hawes was death that his father had attempted to cut his wrists and taken some of the tablets. A couple of days later at 5.15am on 21 May 1959, he called the police and said, 'Can you come and fetch me? My little boy died two days ago and I  have tried to commit suicide. I have taken something and cut my wrists'.

After Stephan Hawes's father called the police, the police carried out a check and found that the call had come from a telephone box at a bypass in Bognor Regis and when the police went there they found Stephan Hawes's father standing by the box. He was seen to sway when he walked and found to have had dried blood and a considerable cut on his left wrist.

On the way to the police station Stephan Hawes's father said, 'I bought myself some sweets and put them in my pocket with some tablets I have. I went to get some bird's eggs and he must have taken the tablets by mistake. I took the tablets and cut my wrist. I wanted to die'.

When the police went to the caravan they found Stephan Hawes's body.

The caravan park was initially locked after the discovery of Stephan Hawes's body and police guarded the camp entrance.

However, the police later said that they were not treating it as a case of murder.

The pathologist said that violence could be ruled out as a cause of death and estimated that Stephan Hawes had been dead for at least two days. The pathologist also ruled out strangulation and gas poisoning but said that he was unable to say what the cause of death was.

Stephan Hawes inquest later said that Stephan Hawes died after eating a lethal dose of sodium maytol tablets.