Coroner hopes to make progress over Durham teacher's holiday-death inquest

Twenty three-year-old Alix Bussey, who lived in Durham and taught at Bowburn Infants School, was with boyfriend Jonathan Boyle heading back to their hotel after a night out on Thursday, April 9, last year, when they were in a car accident in the resort of Riviera Maya.

Durham Constabulary said at the time that while few details had been confirmed, it appeared she had been struck by a vehicle.

Coroner Andrew Tweddle had been awaiting the arrival of information from the Mexican authorities before setting a date for an inquest.

He told a review hearing at Durham Coroner’s Court in Crook yesterday that the information had arrived over Christmas, but he had just received a translation of the papers.

“We have got quite a lot of paperwork from the Mexican authorities,” said Mr Tweddle.

“A lot of countries take a lot, lot longer.

“Once we begin reading it, we can see what is there and precisely what is not there. It is only when we know how complete the paperwork is that I will be able to work out what we do.”

Mr Tweddle gave copies of the translated papers to Mr Boyle and Miss Bussey’s parents Colin and Penny and adjourned the case to his next inquest review session, on February 8, with the intention of setting a final inquest date.

“By that time we will have had an opportunity to go through the paperwork and on the day we will see what is going to happen after that,” he said.