THE MAN who went on the run and posted photographs of his new high life after fleeing abroad to the Costa Blanca – before being apprehended and ending up back in prison – has died from a drug overdose at the age of 35.
In a story that has only now come into the public domain following a recent inquest into his death in Exeter, Devon, Scott Kelly died five months after being released from prison after stabbing a man. The inquest heard that Kelly was found dead in his room at his home last October.
It was a story that made both the British and Spanish press, and was greeted with high-amusement and a sense of justice by all when it was revealed that the escaped prisoner on the run in Spain was captured after posting images of where he was on Facebook.
The British police recognised one as being the palm-tree lined area of Alicante and was subsequently captured by Spanish authorities while driving in the area following the issuing of a European arrest warrant.
It was back in October 2013 that the father of one fled his bail hostel shortly after being released from seven years in jail for stabbing Stephen Rank during a row in a bar in March 2005. Kelly was released on licence but did a runner abroad. He ended up on the Costa Blanca in southern Spain and brazenly posted pictures of himself having fun in the sun.
Images on his Facebook page showed him enjoying a beach sunset, skiing and socialising in bars and restaurants. Detective Inspector Paul Fell, who helped detain Kelly, said: “I am sure that Scott Kelly went to Spain and was living the high life thinking he was untouchable. This shows that nobody is untouchable.”
Scott Kelly’s family said he had only been out of jail for around five months before he died last October. An inquest in Exeter, Devon, was told that cocaine and heroin were found in his body.
His cause of death was ‘acute toxicity poisoning’ and the drug abuse may have enlarged his heart. Detective Sergeant David Lewandowski, of Exeter CID, said drug paraphernalia was found in his room but a known drug addict had been to visit him shortly before he was found.
The detective said there was no criminality or third party involvement in Kelly’s death.
The assistant coroner Lydia Brown concluded that his was a ‘drug related death’.
