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Couple planning Cyprus wedding killed in tragic house fire
The pair were renovating their ‘forever home’
An ‘inseparable’ couple, who were planning their wedding in Cyprus next year, tragically died in a house fire.
Rebecca Foster, 32, and Kieran Naylor, 33, had been together for 10 years before the devastating fire at their Cheshire home last December.
They were rushed to separate hospitals — Warrington and Whiston — following the blaze on Delph Lane, in Daresbury in the early hours of December 12th, 2022.
They both sustained serious injuries, leaving them in a critical condition. Rebecca sadly died two days later, before Kieran’s death on Boxing Day.
An inquest was held into their deaths yesterday (June 19th), the Liverpool Echo reports.
The inquest heard a loving tribute from dad John Foster, who said: “They were massively in love. They spent all of their time together.”
In a statement read out to the court, it was heard this was the fourth house they were renovating together but it was ‘meant to be their forever home’ where they would live with their dog Skye and cat Nyla – who were ‘like their children’.
Mr Foster added they bought the home in August 2021 as a project they could work on together with Mr Naylor, who was a cable joiner, doing 90% of the work himself.
The hearing heard how some rooms in the house were taken ‘back to brick’ but the garden was the only thing completed.
Mr Foster said during the early hours of December 12th, police had asked them to go to the hospital as their daughter was in critical condition after a house fire.
He told the hearing they were told she was ‘brain dead’, adding: “They were keeping her hooked on machines. It was that point we knew she was going to die.”
With bruising and burns to her body, Rebecca’s family stayed with her until she died on December 13th.
Kieran’s dad Paul Naylor also added that the couple were ‘inseparable’ and had celebrated their engagement in 2022, and were due to be married in 2024.
He told the hearing that when his son was rushed to hospital, professionals told him he was ‘seriously unwell and was likely to succumb to his injuries’.
Despite three major operations and fighting for his life for two weeks, Kieran tragically died on Boxing Day 2022.
The inquest previously heard from fire investigator Jonathan Hill that a cause of the fire could not be determined due to the property being ‘unsafe’ and the extensive damage caused, however, it was likely to have started in the ground floor lounge room or gaming room — which was under renovation.
The hearing on Monday heard a statement from a senior paramedic who arrived at the scene shortly before 1.20am that morning. He said ‘orange flames could be seen clearly’ as well as a large police and fire presence.
From police and paramedic evidence, the inquest heard both Rebecca and Kieran were pulled from the burning building from the first floor bedroom window.
Kieran was ‘unresponsive’ and unable to breathe on his own for around 30 minutes and Rebecca required more CPR attempts for around an hour.
As fire crews worked to bring the company director’s heartbeat back, the senior paramedic attempted other life-saving intervention including oxygen and adrenaline. A heartbeat was eventually detected around 1.46am.
Rebecca was rushed to Warrington Hospital where resuscitation attempts were again carried out until she was ventilated and sedated and taken to ICU.
The hearing heard how tests soon showed she suffered a hypoxic brain injury due to smoke inhalation and there were ‘no clinical signs of life’.
In a statement read by assistant coroner Alexander Frodsham, the court heard that ‘tests showed the severity of her condition and it was grossly abnormal’.
The hearing heard how despite the cause of the fire being uncertain, police and fire crews ruled out any third party involvement. Loving tributes previously poured out for the couple who would be ‘together forever’.
Kieran’s family said: “Kieran really was the best son, brother and uncle that anyone could have wished for and he will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure to have known him.
“Kieran and Rebecca are now reunited forever and they will always be in our hearts.”
Rebecca’s family previously said: “Rebecca was a loving and caring daughter and our lives have been absolutely torn apart by her death.
“She and Kieran made the perfect couple, and the pair were planning to spend the rest of their lives together, but sadly they will never be able to fulfil their dreams.”
Recording a narrative conclusion, the coroner said Rebecca suffered a hypoxic brain injury following smoke inhalation after the house fire. He said: “On December 13th, Rebecca’s condition deteriorated and brain stem tests confirmed very sadly she had passed away.”
Rebecca died at Warrington Hospital as the coroner gave a cause of death as hypoxic brain injury secondary to smoke inhalation.
For Kieran, he was resuscitated at the time and rushed to Whiston Hospital with ‘extensive burns’.
Mr Frodsham added that despite three operations, on December 25th, the 33-year-old’s condition rapidly deteriorated and he died on December 26th from multiorgan failure.
The coroner gave a cause of death as multiorgan failure due to 60% of his body surface being covered in burns.
Speaking to the families who attended court on June 19th, he said: “It must have been a terrible shock, while both were adults, they were still your children.
“As parents, we don’t expect to lose our children. I’m very sorry this has happened and I hope you have some answers.”
Rishi Sunak announces at the Tory party conference that the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the HS2 is to be scrapped.
The Prime Minister made a key speech at the conference held in Manchester city centre where he confirmed the rail line will stop in Manchester but from Birmingham it will switch onto using the existing West Coast Mainline track.
This means the high speed route, to connect the north with the south, will no longer exist, effectively confirming days of speculation.
After being introduced by his wife, Akshata Murty, as a ‘wonderful father, my best friend, your prime minister’, Mr Sunak thanked both his wife and the audience.
Speaking live from Manchester, Mr Sunak called HS2 the ‘ultimate example of the old consensus’.
The Prime Minister then said he’s cancelling ‘the rest of the HS2 project’ – which means everything outside the London to Birmingham leg, and is currently under construction.
He then said he ‘will reinvest every single penny’ saved from HS2 – £36 billion pounds – into hundreds of new transport projects in the North and in the Midlands, as well as across the country.
He went on to say that the north would benefit from the new projects rather than HS2, saying he ‘challenges anyone to tell me with a straight face that all of that isn’t what the north really needs’.
Mr Sunak said: “With our new Network North, you will be able to get from Manchester to the new station in Bradford in 30 minutes, Sheffield in 42 minutes, and to Hull in 84 minutes on a fully, electrified line.”
He continued: “So those who wish to disagree with me, I respect that. But they should have the honesty to admit that they would now be cancelling the hundreds of alternative projects right across the country that people will benefit from instead.
“I think our plan is simply a better long term investment of £36 billion pounds of taxpayers money.”
He also said that he will keep single bus fares capped at £2 ‘across the whole country’.
The prime minister added: “I say, to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed. And the right thing to do when the facts change, is to have the courage to change direction.
The anticipated announcement came after defence secretary Grant Shapps suggested a change in HS2 plans was thanks to fewer people travelling into work and instead choosing to work from home, following the coronavirus pandemic.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has labelled the, now confirmed, decision as ‘disgraceful’.
News
Gary Neville welcomes new £400m five-star hotel and residences to Manchester
The world famous W Hotel and W Residences will open in 2027
Exciting first look images are revealed for the hugely anticipated £400 million five-star hotel and residency set to open in 2027.
Gary Neville’s Relentless Developments has announced the St Michael’s development, currently being built between Deansgate and Albert Square, will be bringing with it a world famous hotel brand
The St Michael’s plot, soon to be home to luxury W Hotels and W Residences, will be the first outside London and one of 20 around the world, in a major deal with Marriott International.
The glossy new arrival will see hotel-inspired living offered at St Michael’s 217 apartments, offering buyers the opportunity to purchase a permanent residence within Manchester’s most exclusive postcode.
The iconic 41-storey tower will boast a 162-room hotel, with the tower also housing W Residences, a complex of 217 apartments which will be offered for sale from November, with occupancy also in 2027.
The live-in residences will also boast the facilities of the W Hotels, including 24-hour concierge (W’s whenever/wherever service), round-the-clock in-residence dining, laundry and dry cleaning, as well as the hotel’s gyms and other features.
“W Hotel and W Residences are going to put the distinctive 41-storey tower that is No.2 St Michael’s on the global map,” said Neville, Director, Relentless Developments.
“There is no better home for W Hotel in the North of England than Manchester.
“This is a bold city which continues to defy expectations and which embodies the same values of originality and passion that have made the W Hotel experience world-renowned.
“Situated alongside this, W Residences Manchester will be immersive, design-forward homes that will set a new standard in hotel-inspired living and massively raise the bar for city-centre home ownership.”
“I’d like to thank Marriott International and our developer partner, Salboy, for seeing the potential in this scheme and remaining committed to our vision,” he added.
News
Two Greater Manchester officers nominated for Pride of Britain Awards for acts of bravery
Incredible stories of bravery
The two Police Constables shared their stories of bravery on TV this week, resulting in their Pride Of Britain This Morning Emergency Services Award nominations.
PC Amy Greenwood based in Bury and PC Paul Spinks from Trafford, went above and beyond their call of duty.
PC Greenwood’s nomination is for her actions during an incident on Tuesday, December 21st, 2021. While on response, she was called to an incident in the early hours, which was initially believed to be a domestic incident.
Upon arrival things were not as they seemed when officers spotted a car. Amy calmly spoke to the driver to determine the circumstances of what had happened but it was quickly established the driver was intoxicated.
Footage recorded at the time showed the dramatic circumstances where Amy was dragged alongside the car 100-metres down the road as she held on for her life as the intoxicated driver tried to leave the scene.
After realising Amy was being dragged by the car, the driver stopped before being pulled out of the vehicle by Amy and her colleagues where she was arrested.
Thankfully, the terrifying ordeal didn’t result in any serious injuries, as Amy got away with grazed knees from being dragged at speed.
But the emotional and mental turmoil from the adrenaline rush was an altogether bigger battle.
Reflecting on the incident, PC Greenwood said: “When working on response you don’t really know what type of jobs you are going to come across. At the time I was just trying to cling on for my life, so I didn’t roll under the car.
“After what felt like a lifetime, the rest of the incident seems like a blur. Thankfully I had great colleagues who looked after me and were quick to respond once it unfolded. It all went from one extreme to another after having an initial conversation with her that seemed to be going well.
“I have no animosity towards the driver, she is a mother like myself, and I just hope she is getting the support and help she needs to turn her life around.”
District Superintendent Arif Nawaz, added: “I have immense pride and satisfaction to have someone like Amy as a part of our team.
“She embodies the true essence and spirit of what an officer needs to be at Greater Manchester Police and putting the public safety over her own safety to ensure we were able to bring someone to justice is a true testament to her character and attitude.”
The suspect who was later arrested received a three-month custodial sentence as a result of her reckless actions on that night.
PC Spinks has been recognised for his actions as he tackled a man wielding a machete outside a school in Salford during term time in May, 2022.
Paul was off-duty at the time and was not wearing any protective uniform or equipment, he put his own life at risk to ensure that people of Manchester were safe.
Speaking of his experience, PC Spinks, said: “I did what any other police officer would do in that situation by using my training to step in. Taking one knife off the streets is one more in the right direction.”
Detective Superintendent Alicia Smith of GMP’s Trafford District, added: “Paul is a credit not only to our district, but also to Greater Manchester Police as a whole, and it is a privilege to have him serving alongside us.
“I believe his actions and quick thinking that day stopped serious harm coming to innocent members of the public and he put other’s lives ahead of his own – going above and beyond the call of duty and his brave actions should be recognised.”
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Sunak announces HS2 leg to Manchester to be scrapped
Gary Neville welcomes new £400m five-star hotel and residences to Manchester
Two Greater Manchester officers nominated for Pride of Britain Awards for acts of bravery
All four teenagers named in sentencing for killing of Kyle Hackland
Woman shares sneaky trick on how to get a half price Maccie’s
