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40-Year Fight Ends: Boy's Death Verdict Quashed
23 Jun
Summary
- A 15-year-old boy's 1984 death verdict was overturned after a 40-year family quest.
- The High Court quashed an open inquest verdict, ordering a fresh examination.
- The family long believed the boy, Mark Billington, was incapable of the act.
The High Court has quashed an open inquest verdict recorded over the death of 15-year-old Mark Billington in 1984. This landmark decision follows a persistent 40-year campaign by Mark's family, who never accepted the initial ruling. Mark was last seen alive riding his bike to fly a kite near his Birmingham home, with his body discovered two months later.
Initially treated as a suicide, the case evolved into a murder inquiry in 2002, though no charges were ever filed. Mark's family, including his sister Cheryl Jeyes and his late mother Winifred, vehemently argued that Mark, who had developmental delays, could not have performed the complex knot or cycled the distance to Meriden.
The High Court's ruling, welcomed by Jeyes, is seen as a crucial step towards a thorough examination of all evidence in a new inquest. Although her mother did not live to see this day, Jeyes felt her presence in spirit. The family expressed gratitude to the coroner, Attorney General, and High Court for their diligence.
