The parents of a young Tory activist who is believed to have killed himself are to argue that the inquest into their son’s death should be broadened to examine allegations of bullying.
Elliott Johnson, 21, was found dead on railway tracks on 15 September after leaving a note accusing election aide Mark Clarke and others of bullying him. Clarke has denied all allegations against him.
A 90-minute inquest into his death based solely on police evidence was listed to take place in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, next month but this has now been delayed after an intervention by Elliott’s parents, Ray and Alison Johnson.
A pre-inquest review hearing will now be held on 2 March to allow the family’s lawyers to argue that further evidence about the alleged bullying culture in the Conservative party should be heard.
“We want to ensure that the inquest covers all aspects surrounding Elliott’s death,” Ray Johnson said. “The original intention had been to hold a relatively short one-and-a-half-hour inquest only hearing evidence from the police.
“We’ve said there’s more to this than simply what the police have reported and the coroner has agreed to hear our representations. This will include additional evidence taking the whole episode back several weeks and months to reveal the full circumstances surrounding Elliott’s state of mind.”
The Conservative party has appointed law firm Clifford Chance to run an inquiry into the allegations, but this has been rejected by Elliott’s parents.
Elliott named Clarke as a bully in a letter written before he is believed to have killed himself. Clarke and others are claimed to have leant on him to withdraw a complaint and threatened to ruin his career.
Grant Shapps, who until November was international development secretary, was forced to resign when the Guardian revealed that he had been warned over Clarke’s conduct.
Clarke has previous told the Guardian: “I strongly refute any suggestion of bullying or harassment. I am not making any further comment about this matter. The family have asked for privacy and I respect both their wishes and the coroner’s process.”
