Case of Cleator Moor man who died while accused of killing partner is formally closed

A judge has formally closed the court proceedings involving a Cleator Moor man who died in prison having been accused of killing his partner.

Trevor Green made two court appearances in July having been charged with the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Shelly Clark.

Miss Clark, a 43-year-old caretaker by occupation, died at the West Cumberland Hospital on 16th July. Police had been called to an address at Clayton Avenue in Cleator Moor the previous day amid concerns for her welfare.

Following her passing, 44-year-old Trevor Green, formerly of Mill Hill in Cleator Moor, was arrested and then charged with murder. He was remanded in custody after a Carlisle Crown Court hearing during which a provisional trial date was listed.

However, a Prison Service spokesman went on to confirm he had died in custody on 21st July and that, as with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman had been informed.

A Crown Prosecution Service then stated that it had received Green’s death certificate.

With written confirmation having been provided, it was left to Judge Nicholas Barker at Carlisle Crown Court to formally close the file.

During a brief hearing, Judge Barker spoke of an “unhappy ending” to the case, saying: “Mr Green, on my understanding, has taken his own life.”

A certificate from a coroner had confirmed the defendant’s death, on 21st July, in HMP Durham.

As a result, Judge Barker said the court charge sheet alleging murder could now be marked as having “no legal effect”, and the file closed.

“That concludes this very sad and tragic case for all concerned,” said the judge. “The matter now comes to a final conclusion.”

An inquest into the death of Miss Clark - described by her family as a “loving mother, daughter, sister, aunty, niece, cousin, and friend to many” - has been formally opened by Cumbria’s assistant coroner and, it is proposed, will conclude in December.