Slurry pit death farmer changed will on day he died - inquest

John Charles Barnett's overturned mobility scooter was found on the edge of a slurry lagoon

A 90-year-old farmer whose body was found in a slurry pit changed his will at a solicitor's office on the day he died, an inquest has heard.

John Charles Barnett's overturned mobility scooter was found on the edge of a slurry lagoon in January 2020.

His body was found by a diver at Hully Farm, near Whitchurch, Shropshire.

The inquest at Ruthin, Denbighshire, heard he made a will in 2014, leaving his farm and some land to Nigel Byrne, who worked on the dairy farm.

Mr Barnett was born and lived on the farm, which is close to the border with Wales, his whole life.

The hearing was told that he revoked the will and made a new one the day he died.

It left £20,000 to Mr Byrne and divided the remainder of his estate between his son and daughter after a rift had healed between them.

At a previous pre-inquest hearing, coroner John Gittins had been asked by the counsel for Mr Barnett's family to give consideration to unlawful killing in his deliberations.

Mr Gittins said that at the latest hearing that that would mean a "homicide event" and that in that case, someone must be "culpable".

'Horrible thing to have to believe'

He asked Mr Barnett's son, Robert Barnett, who also works on the farm, if he believed Mr Byrne had been actively involved in putting his father in the slurry pit.

Robert Barnett said: "It's a horrible thing to have to believe. Nigel did have a history where he abused and threatened Dad [with] what would happen if he changed his will.

"There is, under the surface, a very intimidating part of his personality. In the light of that, I think it is a possibility."

He said his father had had a difficult couple of years following the death of his wife in 2017.

It later emerged from a report by his GP that John Charles Barnett had made two suicide attempts during that time.

However, Robert Barnett said the improvement in his father's mental health in 2019 had been "enormous".

He said: "As a family, this absolutely haunts us. We want the questions to be answered and at the moment we feel that is very far from the case."

The inquest has been adjourned until 12 December.