Family left with questions in Thailand death of larger-than-life man

The conclusion to an inquest into the death of Declan Smith, from Widnes, occurred today at Cheshire Coroners Court, sitting at Warrington.

Declan, of Ditchfield Road, Widnes, died at the age of 26.

Jacqueline Devonish, Senior Coroner, ran proceedings, looking to determine a medical cause of death for Declan.

The Widnes man, on January 7 this year, died in Phuket provincial police station after being arrested by Thai police.

Ms Devonish reiterated in the hearing, as she had in an earlier hearing for the inquest, that Thai police had been largely unhelpful in the coroner’s investigation into his death.

Despite having requested more information on multiple occasions, such as witnesses, CCTV of Declan’s arrest and detainment, and a more thorough police report, none of these were granted.

Coroners officer Amanda Edgar reiterated that despite repeated attempts to gather information, Thailand is a non-convention country, meaning there is no legal way to compel them to comply. Multiple letters and attempts to make contact were met with silence by Ms Edgar.

Declan was in Thailand travelling, as he had done with his girlfriend Kelsey for several months. Having previously travelled Bali and Malaysia, the pair went to Thailand in part because of Declan’s dedication and love for Muay Thai.

The late Widnesian was described during Kelsey’s testimony as a ‘friendly and funny person’.

His stepfather, Gary Sharples, said of Declan: “He was a larger-than-life happy young man. He loved martial arts and trying new things, as well as travelling.”

Town Hall, where the inquest took place (Image: Sean Ansel Nolan)

On January 6 of this year, the Muay Thai lover had gone on a night out with some friends, leaving his girlfriend at the hotel.

She described having spoken to him from the morning until 9pm, after which she did not hear from him again.

When she received no word by 5 am, his girlfriend decided to speak to the hotel and call local hospitals.

After several hours of enquiries, she was informed he had died, initially being told Declan had died of ‘a heart attack’.

According to a brief police report, at around ten minutes past midnight on January 7, he had been arrested.

This was following reports the 26-year-old had been acting paranoid and erratically, swiping at passersby with a pool cue and attacking a nearby motorbike.

According to his toxicology report presented by Home Office Pathologist Matthew Lyle, this was due to cocaine use.

His blood also showed signs of Ketamine and Diazapan usage, however, Dr Lyle stated that whilst these were used recreationally, they could also have been used in treating Declan.

After police arrived and arrested the Widnes man, they restrained him and took him to Phuket provincial police station. Kelsey was shown a photo of him being restrained, describing it as multiple police officers grabbing onto him. This photo was never provided by Thai police, and she was shown it in a room with no translator.

After being taken to the police station, Declan was placed in the ‘Childrens and Womens’ wing of the station – in a detention centre to try and sober him up.

Several hours later, upon checking on him, an officer found him unresponsive face down on the floor.

A volunteer ambulance service, with no nationalised service available to police, attempted to resuscitate him, however they were unsuccessful. Declan died at 4.10 am on January 7.

The Hotel where Declan and Kelsey were staying (Image: Google Maps)

Speaking at the inquest, Dr Lyle stated that in his autopsy, he could not ascertain a clear cause of death.

Whilst the Thai autopsy claimed Declan had died of ‘cardiac and respiratory failure’, he criticised this – saying it was reductive and that all deaths involve cardiac and respiratory failure.

The police report pointed to the drugs in the Widnes man’s system, however Dr Lyle said; “the spectre of restraint cannot be eliminated.”

Whilst there were no signs of asphyxiation, his upper arms and torso were covered in bruises consistent with being grabbed.

He did, however, note a report from Declan’s GP that, in 2022, he had been taken to Whiston hospital due to a paranoid episode brought on by excessive cocaine use.

At this appointment, he was told that he was at high risk of heart issues due to what he claimed was fortnightly cocaine use.

Despite this, however, Dr Lyle claimed there were not sufficient signs from his heart that supported the claim this caused his death.

Upon being told a cause of death could likely not be determined, Mr Sharples said: “We need closure. If we can’t get closure, we just want to be able to go on with our lives.

“We actually want the truth, but it doesn’t feel like we are going to get it.”

The official cause of death was listed as ‘unascertained’.