Colin Burgess

Colin Burgess was found dead in his van in a remote farm road near Brecon in Mid-Wales on 26 December 1983.

A hose led from the exhaust pipe of his Metro van to the interior.

His body was found by a shepherd at the end of a farm road at Cantref.

He was alst seen alove on Christmas Day when he told his sales asssitant that he was going to a cousins in Brimingham.

An open verdcit was returned at his inquest.

A woman that knew him said that she didn't beleive that he committed suicide.

Colin Burgess had been a business man, but at the time nad been facing serious drugs and fireamrs charges and was said to have been mixed up with a lot of shady people. It was heard that he and the other man had been charged with possessing, supplying and conspiring to supply drugs, including heroin, canabis and LSD. He also faced two charges relating to the possessopn of a shot gun,.

He had run Aquarius Electronics in Queen Victoria Road in Coventry, trading in decond-hand electronics.

A sales assistant that had worked for him said that he had taken threatening phone calls meant for Colin Burgess, stating that in one call someone had threatened to:

if Colin Burgess didn't stop seeing a certain person, noting that the police had been told of the calls.

The shepherd that found his van said that the van's engine was still running  when he found it at 9.30am. The shepgherds mother said that she heard a van pass their farm at about 4.30am and it was thought that it had been Colin Burgess's van.

His post mortem examination gave his cause of death as carbon monixide poisoning. traces of a canabis related drug were also found in samples taken from his body.

A man that he had been charged alongside was brought from prison to the inquest, and said that hey had been facing 44 charges and had been due to appear before Coventry Magistrates on 25 Janaury 1984. He said that he had known Colin Burgess for about two years and that he had shared a flat with him for about a year and that on Christmas day he had seemed his normal cheerful self.

He said:

The woman that knew him said that they had previously talked about suicide some years earlier when she was depressed. she said:

However, the police said that there was no evidence that anyone else had been involved in the incident.

They added that documents found that Colin Burgess had been using the name Colin Broughton trading as Aquarious Electronics and had been overdrawn by £1,474, and that another account in his own name was overdrawn by £202.

After the evidence was heard, the Coroner said:

Colin Burgess had been divorced.