Inquest opens on elderly couple

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An investigation into the deaths of an elderly couple found at their home is likely to take three months.

The bodies of Thomas Hughes, 82, and his wife Nancie, 86, were discovered on Sunday, 11 May at their house Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.

Mrs Hughes' body was found lying in bed while her husband's body was discovered in an empty bath, the coroner was told.

Before post-mortems, police had treated the deaths as suspicious, but officers said later that they were not.

The inquest into their deaths, which was opened at Gwent coroner's court earlier, was told that Mr Hughes was a retired dentist and his wife a retired dental nurse.

Coroner's officer Kenneth Le Prevost said police inquiries were continuing but "there is nothing to suggest any other parties were involved in their deaths".

'Sadly missed'

He said: "In light of that there is no objection to the release of their bodies for funeral purposes."

Asked by Gwent coroner David Bowen how long the investigation would last, Mr LePrevost said "two to three months".

Mr Bowen said: "I propose to adjourn this inquest to allow those inquiries to reach a conclusion."

Following the couple's death, their family released a statement which said they had been devoted to one another.

It read: "Tom and Nancie will be sadly missed by their family. They were a loving couple who were devoted to each other and their children."