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| Tory activist Elliott Johnson suffered 'degrading' treatment | Tory activist Elliott Johnson suffered 'degrading' treatment |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A young Conservative activist found dead on railway tracks could have suffered "inhuman or degrading" treatment at the hands of party members, a hearing has been told. | A young Conservative activist found dead on railway tracks could have suffered "inhuman or degrading" treatment at the hands of party members, a hearing has been told. |
| Elliott Johnson wrote letters, found after his death, in which he claimed he was bullied by Tory supporters. | Elliott Johnson wrote letters, found after his death, in which he claimed he was bullied by Tory supporters. |
| His parents want his inquest to be widened to hear evidence about the culture in the Conservative Party. | His parents want his inquest to be widened to hear evidence about the culture in the Conservative Party. |
| A pre-inquest review is taking place to hear from lawyers on both sides. | A pre-inquest review is taking place to hear from lawyers on both sides. |
| At Ampthill Coroner's Court Heather Williams QC, representing Mr Johnson's parents Alison and Ray Johnson, read an extract from one of the letters. | |
| "These past few weeks have been the most difficult of my life. I've failed in money, failed in life, failed in politics," he wrote. | |
| Live updates on this story here | |
| The lawyer said there was a prospect that some of the treatment the 21 year old received in the final weeks of his life was "inhuman or degrading". | |
| Mr Johnson made a complaint about bullying a month before his death in Bedfordshire in September, sparking an investigation and the resignation of former party co-chairman Grant Shapps. | |
| The allegations centre on the behaviour of former activist Mark Clarke, who has since been expelled from the party. | |
| Mr Clarke denies the allegations against him. | |
| Mr Johnson's parents, who live in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, have already decided they will not participate in an internal review by the Conservative Party, saying they do not want to lend credibility to a process they fear will be a whitewash. |