Roderick McEwan

Roderick McEwan was found dead on a strip of grass outside Cobbe House, in Ashley Road, St Pauls on 25 July 1983.

He had been a former student at Bristol Polytechnic and had lived in Valetta Road, Acton in London whre he had been a teacher. He had stopped of at Bristol on his way back from working in Cornwall.

His inquest found that he died from alcoholic and chloral poisoning. 

He was found lying dead on a strip of grass outside Cobbe House, a block of flats. 

Four men were later charged with administering a stupeyfying and overpowering drug to him in order to rob him, but were all cleared of his manslaughter at Bristol Crown Court. 

They were:

1. 39-year-old man, no fixed abode.
2. 44-year-old man, Cobbe House, Ashley Road, St Pauls.
3. 34-year-old man, no fixed abode.
4. 39-year-old man, York Road, Montpeliar, Bristol.

It was claimed that they had given him a 'Mickey Finn' so that they could rob him. They were then said to have dumped him outside their drinking den at Cobbe House.

Roderick McEwan had been on a visit to the city where he had formerly been a student. 

It was heard that he had been found asleep on the grass outside the flats and had been taken by the men back into 9 Cobbe House, which was described as a drinking den and the scene of a permanent drinking party. It was said that they had then given him the Mickey Finn with the intnetion of stealing from him his money and watch. THe prosecution said:

He was later found by passers-by and the police were called but he was by then already dead. 

However, the judge ordered the jury to find the men not guilty of manslaughter because the medical evidence showed that it was a possibility that he had died from alcohol alone. 

However, they still faced the charges of having administered a drug in order to rob him but were acquitted. They were also acquitted of robbing him.

After hearing the evidence the Coroner said: