Ricky Hatton‘s mother told an inquest today about their final hug two days before his death – as a coroner ruled it was unclear whether he intended to kill himself.
The British boxing legend was found fully clothed in the games room of his £1.7million mansion in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on September 14 last year aged 46.
An empty bottle of wine was recovered by police from the pool table nearby and a half-drunk glass of wine was on the bar, Stockport Coroner’s Court was told.
A toxicology report found Mr Hatton was more than twice the drink drive limit, with 212mg of alcohol per 100ml blood, and there was ‘some evidence’ of cannabis use.
Although Mr Hatton was previously chronic user of cocaine and there was evidence of such ‘previous’ cocaine use in his system, the court heard there was no evidence he had taken the Class A drug in the hours before he died.
Alison Mutch, senior coroner for Manchester South, said she could not be sure that Mr Hatton, who was twice the drink drive limit and left no note, meant to kill himself.
Family members, including Mr Hatton’s son Campbell, 24, father, Ray, 75, and brother, Matthew, 44, broke down in tears and sobbed as the coroner delivered her verdict.
Ms Mutch said: ‘I’ve looked very carefully at the evidence. In particular, the fact that he left no note, was under the influence of alcohol, and he had some microscopic evidence of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, brain disease).
‘When I add everything together I cannot be satisfied he intended to take his own life.’
Ricky Hatton smiles during a press day at Betta Bodies Gym in Denton, Manchester, in 2007
The family of Ricky Hatton leave Stockport Coroner’s Court this afternoon following the inquest. Pictured: Mr Hatton’s brother Matthew hugs Mr Hatton’s son Cameron (centre right) as Matthew’s partner Jenna Coyne (left) and Mr Hatton’s father Ray (second left) watch on
Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell Hatton leaves Stockport Coroner’s Court this afternoon
Matthew Hatton’s partner Jenna Coyne kisses Hatton’s son Cameron outside the court today
Matthew Hatton leaves Stockport Coroner’s Court after today’s inquest into the boxer’s death
Ms Mutch offered her condolences to Mr Hatton’s relatives, adding: ‘Mr Hatton was a family man at heart. He loved his family very much.
‘Although he had an extremely successful career as a boxer, his family was the most important thing in his life. It is also clear his family loved him very much.’
Earlier, in a statement to the inquest, Mr Hatton’s mother Carol said she last saw her son two days before his death.
They chatted about Campbell’s retirement from boxing and about how Mr Hatton was thinking about selling his home and downsizing because his children no longer used the swimming pool and he was ‘roaming’ around his large property.
He also told her he wanted to get advice from his father Ray about his finances when he returned from his trip to Dubai.
Mrs Hatton said his son’s eyes appeared ‘sad,’ but, as they parted, she told him his ‘family loved him so much.’
She said: ‘He said, “I love you too, mum”, and the last hug he gave me almost broke my ribs.’
Mr Hatton’s family and friends were in court today along with his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Dooley, 44, and his and manager Paul Speak.
Pathologist Dr Neil Papworth, who carried out a post-mortem, found damage to parts of Mr Hatton’s brain and a condition called mild CTE, which can be caused by repeated head impacts and is often found in boxers, footballers and other sportsmen and women involved in contact sports.
He said the progressive condition can cause memory loss and cognitive impairment and, the court heard, Mr Hatton’s relatives had noticed a ‘significant decline in his short-term memory’ in recent years.
His son, Campbell said he felt his father often had to ‘write things down or needed reminding about what he was doing day to day’, including on the evening before his death.
Mr Hatton’s ex-girlfriend Ms Dooley, who is the mother of his two daughters, agreed that Mr Hatton could be ‘forgetful and disorganised’ and often needed help ‘managing plans and making arrangements’.
She said their children Fearne, 12, and Millie, 13, were struggling to come to terms with the ‘finality’ of their father’s death and regularly slept in his T-shirts, or with his pillows and ‘sprayed his aftershave.’
(From left) Hatton’s agent Paul Speak, his father Ray and son Campbell outside the court today
Ricky Hatton’s former partner Jennifer Dooley arrives at Stockport Coroner’s Court today
Hatton’s son Campbell and his father Ray outside Stockport Coroner’s Court this morning
‘They are heartbroken,’ she said. ‘The absence of their father has left a devastating void in their lives, we have been left with a significant and lasting hole in our family.
‘Rick will always be remembered by his daughters as a fun loving dad and the memories they shared will stay with them forever.’
Campbell also told the hearing that Mr Hatton had already packed his bags in anticipation of a flight he was due to take the day after he was found dead.
He said he did not believe his father’s decision to end his life was ‘pre-meditated’.
Mr Hatton had also made plans to visit his parents on his return from his trip to Dubai, where he was supposed to visit to organise a comeback fight.
In a statement read to the court, Campbell described his father as a ‘happy laid back chap, except when it came to sport and competition’.
He said he lived life ‘at 110 per cent, in and out of the ring,’ but added that, once he retired from boxing, Mr Hatton had ‘mental health battles’ and ‘issues with alcohol and cocaine’.
Despite this, Campbell said he felt his father was in ‘best place for years,’ adding: ‘He was always generous with people, who he loved being around, always extremely well-loved and cherished by all of us.’
Detective Sergeant Helen Grigalis, of Greater Manchester Police, told the court that Mr Hatton was last seen alive on the evening of September 12 when he took his two daughters and seven-year-old granddaughter, Lyla, out for dinner at a local restaurant.
He dropped the girls at their respective homes, before returning to his own property, where he lived alone, around 7.55pm.
Analysis of his mobile phone revealed that it was last used just after midnight to activate his Apple music account.
Hatton’s brother Matthew and his partner Jenna Coyne at Stockport Coroner’s Court today
Hatton’s agent Paul Speak at Stockport Coroner’s Court this morning ahead of the inquest
The following day, Mr Hatton was due to attend a boxing event, in nearby Bolton, but when a driver arrived to collect him, around 5.30pm, he got no answer from the intercom and calls to Mr Hatton’s mobile also went to voicemail.
The driver returned to the property a couple of hours later but again could not raise Mr Hatton.
Mr Speak, Mr Hatton’s long-time manager and agent, arrived the following morning, around 6.30am to take him to Manchester Airport for a flight to Dubai.
Mr Speak previously told Boxing News he assumed his friend had overslept when he could not raise him for the journey.
He said: ‘The lights weren’t on, which I thought was strange. I thought he’d overslept, it’s not unusual. People do oversleep.
‘So, I went inside – I have a key – shouting, ‘Rick, Rick, wake up!” heard music coming from upstairs, so I went upstairs. I took a look at him. I had to take some time to process.
‘I was in a state of shock and confusion and loss and many more emotions. Then I called the police and the ambulance.’
Mr Speak previously said Mr Hatton was ‘in a really good place’ before his death and had been preparing to take his daughters to see the band Oasis the following week.
He also had plans to travel to Thailand for a boxing convention and to visit Tenerife for Christmas.
However, his main focus was in Dubai, where he was due to travel to sign a contract to take part in a come-back fight, in December, against Abu Dhabi’s Eisa Al Dah.
Following Mr Hatton’s death, Campbell told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the family were struggling to comprehend what had happened.
Opening up about his grief, he said: ‘It has been very up and down, really, but just as a family, we’re trying to take each day at a time, really.’
Stars such as Liam Gallagher, Wayne Rooney and Tyson Fury were among those in the congregation for a private memorial service at Manchester Cathedral in October.
The coffin is carried out of Manchester Cathedral after Ricky Hatton’s funeral last October 10
A family photograph from the Sky programme ‘At Home With The Hattons’ shows (from left) Hatton’s partner Jennifer Dooley, father Ray, Hatton with his son Campbell, his mother Carol, brother Matthew’s girlfriend Jenna and brother Matthew holding his son Jack in 2008
Nicknamed ‘the Hitman’, Hatton was an aggressive and brave fighter who held multiple world and UK titles between 1997 and 2012.
The Mancunian was renowned for his 2005 victory over Kostya Tszyu, in his home town, which made him become a boxing legend overnight and won him an army of loyal fans.
Reflecting on the love shown for Ricky at his funeral, Campbell added: ‘He always said he was more proud of his fanbase than all the belts and his titles.
‘Surprised is probably the wrong word because it was obvious how much he was loved by the amount of people that followed him all over the world to watch him box.
‘To actually see everyone in the streets, it was a very long route that we went down, and there was never a point where the streets weren’t full. To actually see it in terms of the amount of people, it was surreal really.’
Tributes were shared by Campbell, who followed his father into the boxing ring, as well as his daughters Fearne, 12, and Millie, 13, at the service.
Last month Campbell, who retired from the sport last year, confirmed he would be stepping back into the ring as part of a tribute fight for his father when he takes on Kell Brook in Dubai next month.
His boxer cousins Jack and Lola – the children of Hatton’s brother Matthew – are also set to take part in the ‘Destiny in the Desert’ fight night.
Mr Hatton, who was awarded an MBE for services to sport in 2007, had spoken at length about his mental health struggles and how he’d suffered from suicidal thoughts and problems with addiction in the past.
However, shortly before his death friends believed he was in a better place and his final post on Instagram showed him keeping fit in the gym ahead of a highly anticipated return to the ring.
He was also filmed an uplifting video in his final week for a child who was the victim of bullying.
Mr Speak said: ‘If this was 10 years ago, it wouldn’t have been as big a shock as it was. I’ve been with Ricky to the very highest mountains in boxing to the lowest chasm in life.’
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