Islington News - Michael Tuohey | Almeida Street | Fire

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Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 13 February 2009

‘Suspicious’ fire death discounted

DETECTIVES have dismissed early fears that the death of a man in a blaze at his Islington home on Friday was suspicious.
Police cordoned off the area around the third-floor flat in Almeida Street where 65-year-old Michael Tuohey lived, declaring it a crime scene and calling in forensics teams.
But initial reports that the death was “unusual” and that police were treating it as suspicious were dismissed this week, after a post-mortem on Mr Tuohey’s body.
Mr Tuohey, a retired driver, was found dead in the home where he had lived for 10 years. It is understood that initial suspicions were raised by injuries found on the dead man’s body.
An inquest opened on Tuesday gave no cause of death. St Pancras Coroner’s Court is awaiting toxicology results, which are expected to take 10 weeks.
The blaze damaged the flat below Mr Tuohey’s home, forcing a 77-year-old neighbour to move out.
Peter Curtis, the building’s managing agent who had known Mr Tuohey for 15 years, paid tribute to “an ordinary decent bloke who went out and worked for a living and came to a tragic end”.
He said: “The worst part of it is that he was all by himself. There’s so many people like that in London. It’s a quiet tragedy. We all feel a little bit guilty about it.”
Mr Curtis added: “He’d been unwell. We didn’t really socialise but we’ve talked over the years. He used to drive for a minicab company in the West End.
“He was an interesting bloke who you could have a conversation with about anything. He took an interest in politics. He wasn’t the type to sit in and watch Coronation Street.”
Mr Tuohey liked classical music and good literature, he said.
“He had a good, inquisitive mind. He liked to cook nice food for himself even though he lived alone.”
Four fire engines and 20 firefighters attended the blaze. It is believed a firefighter was taken to hospital with injuries.

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