Double-murder accused found hanged (From Northwich Guardian)

Double-murder accused found hanged

9:09am Friday 10th February 2012 in National News © Press Association 2011

A lodger accused of the murders of his landlady and her mother has been found hanged in his prison cell.

Barry Morrow, 52, was due to face trial in May over the deaths of Angela Holgate, 54, and Alice Huyton, 75, whose strangled bodies were found at Mrs Holgate's home in Southport on December 3.

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "HMP Manchester prisoner Barry Morrow was found hanging in his cell at 2.18pm on Thursday February 9.

"Staff attempted resuscitation and paramedics attended but he was pronounced dead at 2.46pm.

"As with all deaths in custody, the prisons and probation ombudsman will conduct an investigation."

Morrow had been remanded in custody ahead of a plea hearing on March 19 at Liverpool Crown Court, with a scheduled trial date of May 7.

Police launched a Europe-wide hunt for him when he was spotted in France shortly after Avon saleswoman Mrs Holgate and her mother were found by a relative at the address in Fairhaven Road.

Morrow was seen in Calais after apparently catching a ferry across the Channel with Mrs Holgate's white Citroen car. He returned to the UK days later and was arrested. While at large he had contacted a local newspaper via Facebook to protest his innocence.

Police confirmed that the "indication" from the post-mortem examination was that Mrs Holgate died before her mother, but it had not been established how long before. It is also understood that Mrs Holgate was not in a romantic relationship with Mr Morrow at the time she died.