Inquest opens into the death of Farringdon man Andrew John Mather as murder investigation continues

Sunderland’s senior coroner Derek Winter opened and adjourned an inquest into the death of Andrew John Mather on, Wednesday, June 24.

Mr Mather’s body was found in a property at Aintree Road, Farringdon in Sunderland on June 3.

Officers have since charged Wayne Miller, 32, of Dene Street, Sunderland with murder after police were alerted by the ambulance service following concerns over the 48-year-old.

Three others – a 45-year-old man and two women aged 38 and 18 – were arrested on suspicion of murder and released under investigation.

A fifth man, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has also been released under investigation.

Mr Winter revealed during the opening of the inquest that the formal cause of death is still not known and will be the result of a post-mortem report.

Andrew’s mum Elaine Mather paid tribute to her son via a Go Fund Me page which was set up to cover funeral costs.

She said: “Andy was a great lad, who was loved by many. He was no bother and would help anyone where he could.

“As a family, we are utterly distraught at the thought of having to bury our boy, who left behind two daughters, a son and doting granddaughter.”

The coroner has adjourned the inquest until August 28 but made reference that this may be rescheduled pending the criminal proceedings of the case.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.

How to subscribe to the print edition:

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of. Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.