This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-35725977
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Tory activist Elliott Johnson inquest: Bullying claims not included | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| An inquest into the death of a young Conservative activist will not look at allegations of bullying in the party, a coroner has ruled. | An inquest into the death of a young Conservative activist will not look at allegations of bullying in the party, a coroner has ruled. |
| Elliott Johnson, who was found dead on railway tracks in Bedfordshire, claimed he was bullied by Tory supporters. | Elliott Johnson, who was found dead on railway tracks in Bedfordshire, claimed he was bullied by Tory supporters. |
| His parents fought for his inquest to be widened to look at the culture in the party. | |
| But, coroner Tom Osborne said: "I will not allow the inquest to be used as a tool for putting anyone on trial." | |
| A pre-inquest review heard Mr Johnson could have suffered "inhuman or degrading" treatment at the hands of party members. | |
| Live updates on this story here | |
| A letter he wrote, found after his death, was read to Ampthill Coroner's Court, near Milton Keynes, during the hearing on Wednesday. | |
| The 21-year-old wrote: "These past few weeks have been the most difficult of my life. I've failed in money, failed in life, failed in politics." | The 21-year-old wrote: "These past few weeks have been the most difficult of my life. I've failed in money, failed in life, failed in politics." |
| Mr Johnson made a complaint about bullying weeks before he was found dead in Bedfordshire in September. | |
| Former parliamentary candidate Mark Clarke, who is at the centre of the allegations, which he denies, has been expelled from the party. | |
| The case subsequently led to the resignation of former party co-chairman Grant Shapps. | |
| The final months of Elliott Johnson's life | |
| Mr Osborne said it was "clearly a sad and tragic case" but his purpose was "not to determine whether the allegations of bullying" were true and he would not be looking at "individual fault". | |
| Mr Clarke will not be called as a witness at the inquest, the coroner added. | |
| He said Mr Johnson has a history of self-harm and suicide attempts, but this appears to have had "little or no bearing" on his death. | |
| His parents, who live in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, have decided not to participate in an internal review by the Conservative Party saying they fear it will be a whitewash. |