Chepstow father Jonathan Daunter died after wife locked him in garden shed so he wouldn’t drink

Father-of-three, 50, whose wife locked him in the garden shed to stop him from drinking, died from asphyxiation after he started a motorbike engine and blacked out from the fumes, inquest hears

  • Kim Daunter locked her husband Jonathan away while she went shopping 
  • Mr Daunter, of Wales, was an alcoholic and she was afraid he would relapse 
  • Started motorbike engine inside and died from carbon monoxide poisoning 

A father-of-three died after his wife locked him in the garden shed to stop him from drinking while she went shopping, an inquest heard.

Jonathan Daunter, 50, was battling alcoholism and was locked inside the steel shed by his family so his wife Kim, 44, could go out and not worry about him relapsing.

The car company owner decided to start up a motorbike engine left inside the shed and blacked out from the fumes. 

He was found unresponsive and died later that day from carbon monoxide poisoning, his inquest was told. 

The police ruled there was no foul play as there was no evidence Mr Daunter had been locked up against his will and it was done for his own protection.  

Police investigated his death but ruled out foul play after his wife Kim Daunter (pictured) explained the chain of events

Jonathan Daunter, 50, (left) was battling alcoholism and was locked inside the steel shed by his family so his wife Kim, 44, (right) could go out and not worry about him relapsing

He was found by the family, who live in Shirenewton, Chepstow, South Wales, when they returned an hour later.  

Police investigated the death but ruled out foul play after his wife explained the chain of events.

Mr Daunter, who had appeared on BBC’s Countryfile, ran a breaker’s yard when he kept old farming machines, 4x4s and motorbikes.

The inquest heard he had had a ‘long-standing dependency on alcohol and had relapsed after seeking help.’ 

Mrs Daunter told police: ‘I had to go to Bristol. I dare not take him because he could jump out of the car to go and get alcohol because of being desperate to get drunk.

‘He had water and warm clothes in there. We locked him in there to make sure he would not go off and get alcohol. We were gone about an hour.’

Detective Inspector Nicola Williams, of Gwent Police, told the hearing: ‘I went to the scene in order to understand the circumstances.

‘There was nothing that could tell me that he had been forced there or coerced there.’

Gwent coroner Caroline Saunders said: ‘A decision was made that for the duration of her absence Mr Daunter would be locked in a Portacabin-like container.

‘I do not have sufficient evidence to know how that decision was made. But there is no evidence before me that would suggest that any force was used to put him in there.

‘At some point Mr Daunter started the motorbike. The reason for this is unknown.

‘He died as a result of being in an enclosed area with a running vehicle.’

She said the medical cause of death was given as asphyxiation caused by carbon monoxide toxicity from by fume inhalation. 

But she said his alcohol dependency had ‘contributed but did not directly cause the death.’ She said: ‘Police found there was no suspicious activity or foul play.’

The coroner at the Newport inquest ruled that he did not intend to take his own life and died from the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Speaking at the time of his death, his family said: ‘On Saturday 11 Feb Jon was involved in an tragic accident that proved to be fatal.

‘As you imagine we are all devastated. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our friends and customers for their ongoing support.’

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