Hampshire diplomat Richard Morris's cause of death still unknown, inquest hears
THE cause of death of a Hampshire diplomat who was found in a forest three months after going missing is still unknown.
An inquest, opened this morning, heard that following a post-mortem examination carried out on the body of 52-year-old Richard Morris, a medical cause of death was given as ‘unascertained’.
Mr Morris was last seen running near his home in nearby Bentley on May 6.
A member of the public found Mr Morris’ body in Alice Holt Forest near Farnham on August 31.
Senior coroner for Hampshire Christopher Wilkinson said consultant forensic pathologist Dr Russell Delaney carried out the initial examination on the body, adding: ‘The nature of his death is at this stage unascertained.’
Further evidence will be gathered for an inquest in June 2021.
At the time of the discovery of his body, police said they were not treating the death as suspicious.
His family described Mr Morris ‘as funny, kind and smart, in a statement released at the time of his death.
It added: ‘Above all else, Richard was a family man. A loving and loyal husband, father, son and brother.
‘He showed us the world but he was our world and we are devastated by his loss.’
Mr Morris was the ambassador to Nepal between 2015 and November 2019 and accompanied the Duke of Sussex during his tour of the country in 2016.
Before that he was head of the Pacific department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and has held senior diplomatic posts including in Australia and Mexico during nearly 30 years’ service.