Articles | Family to identify Speight's body

Police: 'Speight found hanged'

Published: Monday, 14 April 2008, 7:21AM

The family of children's television star Mark Speight are due to formally identify his body after he was apparently found hanged.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out after the body was discovered on the roof of MacMillan House, next to Paddington Station in central London, on Sunday.

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said: "Network Rail staff located the body hanging on the roof of a building next to the station at 10am yesterday and alerted police.

"The body was in a remote area out of public view. The body was removed from the scene and taken to Westminster Mortuary.

"A post-mortem is expected later today or tomorrow when formal identification will be made.

"A report is being prepared for the coroner and investigations are continuing."

The 42-year-old disappeared six days ago following the inquest into the death of his fiancée Natasha Collins, 31, who died on January 3. She was found in a bath with 60 per cent burns after taking cocaine, alcohol and sleeping tablets.

Speight told police the couple had been "partying" and had taken cocaine and sleeping pills as well as drinking wine and vodka.

He was reported missing on April 7 by Miss Collins' mother, who he was due to meet for coffee in central London. In recent days his family appealed for him to get in touch because of fears he was feeling vulnerable.

Speight's father, Oliver, paid tribute to his "wonderful" son saying: "Mark was a wonderful son and brother to his family and he will be very sadly missed."

He added: "We need to come to terms with our grief at the loss of both Mark and Natasha and would ask that you would respectfully afford us the privacy to grieve privately during this tragic time."

Meanwhile, Jan Kennedy, of Speight's agents Billy Marsh Associates, said: "We are absolutely devastated at the tragic news of the loss of Mark and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family as well as the family of his beloved fiancée, Natasha, whose equally tragic death had affected him so inconsolably.

"Caring and compassionate in everything he did, Mark was truly gifted in life and we are proud to have represented him as a friend and client for almost 20 years.

"He was blessed with a remarkable personality, great artistic talents and the wonderful warm ability to communicate those skills with people, especially children of all ages."