March 19, 2019 2.49 pm This story is over 60 months old

Inquest opens next week into Kirton fire double murder

The inquest will be held at Boston Coroners Court
Billy Hicks (left) and Jay Edmunds (right).

An inquest will open next week into the deaths of the three people in a fire in Kirton on New Year’s Day.

As previously reported, police released the names of the three people who died in the blaze at a detached house on Peartree Road in Kirton just before 3am on January 1, 2019.

Jay Edmunds, 27, of Kirton and Billy Hicks, 24, of Wyberton both died in the fire. Officers confirmed Ashley Martin, 32, of Luton, who also died, would be treated as a suspect in relation to the deaths of Jay and Billy.

Photo: BBC News Hub

Due to the ferocity of the fire, formal identification and post-mortems took several days to be completed in what was described by police as a “complex incident to deal with”.

Officers from the East Midlands Specialist Operations Unit carried out a thorough investigation and passed their findings to the coroner. A date for the opening of the inquest to establish the circumstances of the deaths has now been set.

Coroner Paul Smith will open the inquest for the trio at Boston Coroners Court at 10am on Monday, March 25.

Photo: BBC News Hub

At the opening of an inquest, a coroner will confirm the name of the deceased and the place of death. They then set a provisional date for a hearing. The inquest opening is expected to be a short hearing.

Detective Chief Inspector Karl Whiffen from Lincolnshire Police previously said: “It is important to note that a coroner’s role is not to apportion guilt or to attribute blame. They will determine essential facts about how each person died.”

Family tributes

Billy Hicks (left) and Jay Edmunds (right).

The family of Jay Edmunds previously released the following tribute to her: “Jay was a vibrant, funny, beautiful, loving daughter & sister.

“We are shocked & horrified by the events that have taken Jay from us. Our hearts are broken.

“Thank you to all our family, friends and local community for their well wishes and support at this devastating time.

“We would also like to thank to all emergency services that have been involved.”

A tribute was also released by the family of Billy Hicks.

It said: “Billy had a wonderful smile and would always be the life and soul of the party.

“He was a very caring and loving person with a fantastic sense of humour.

“Our hearts are broken our family is devastated for him to be taken away from us in such a tragic way. We would like to thank all those involved.”