Speed's death remains a mystery

London: Of this we can be certain: Gary Speed died some time after 1am on November 27, 2011. Why he did so, however, remains utterly baffling.

Even after an exhaustive police inquiry and a public inquest, no one — not even the Cheshire county coroner — has a clue why a man with so much to live for, a man apparently secure in his professional life, a man surrounded by those who loved and admired him, would take his own life. Or even whether he finally intended to do so.

The adjective sombre was barely sufficient to describe the atmosphere at his inquest on Monday. The coroner, Nicholas Rheinberg, conducted proceedings with admirable sympathy. His purpose was to establish beyond doubt what had happened.

He began by reading written evidence supplied by those who best knew the deceased, including good friend Alan Shearer, who had seen him the day before he died, when the pair had made plans to meet up the following weekend. And then there was Speed's mother Carol, who simply could not understand why he had done it, not when he loved his family so much.

Then, Rheinberg called on Speed's wife Louise. Calm, clear, dignified, she agreed that their relationship had been strained by the demands, responsibilities and constant travel involved in his job as Wales manager. But they had determined to work through their issues. He had concluded their spat by talking of "moving forward" and of the "importance of the boys to him".

No note

Speed left no note. There was no history of depression. Of the lurid internet rumours, there was no jot of evidence.

The police officer who conducted the inquiry into his death indicated Speed had sat on the garage steps for some time, probably with a ligature round his neck. It was this that led the coroner to conclude an accident might have been possible. Speed could have fallen asleep and the cord tightened fatally. Such was the lack of certainty, a narrative verdict was the only one he could deliver.

— The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2012