Families of two men killed in Cameron House hotel fire invited to give statements at fatal accident inquiry

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The families of two men who died following a hotel fire will be invited to give written statements about the impact of their deaths to a fatal accident inquiry into the fatal blaze.

The fire at the five-star Cameron House Hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond claimed the lives of Simon Midgley, 32, and his partner Richard Dyson, 38, from London, in December 2017.

Hotel operator Cameron House Resort Ltd was previously fined £500,000 and night porter Christopher O'Malley was given a community payback order over the fire.At a continued preliminary hearing, which took place virtually on Wednesday ahead of the FAI in August, Crown counsel Graeme Jessop said he does not plan to call relatives of the men who died as witnesses, but will invite them to provide written "pen pictures" of the pair.He said: "Insofar as the next of kin of the deceased are concerned, the Crown is not currently intending calling Mrs Midgley, Simon Midgley's mother, or Richard Dyson's next of kin as witnesses to the inquiry."But in order to enable them to explain the impact of their sons' deaths, the Crown intends to invite the next of kin of each to prepare a written pen picture of Simon Midgley and of Richard Dyson respectively and the impacts their deaths has had upon them."These statements would be lodged with the court and the inquiry and read by myself at a suitable point in the inquiry."The inquiry is due to start in person at Paisley Sheriff Court on August 15 and is expected to last around three weeks.

Mr Jessop said it will "undoubtedly be a relatively lengthy and complex inquiry".Sheriff Thomas McCartney set a further preliminary hearing for August 2.He said: "So far as the biography pictures as has been suggested in respect of Mr Midgley and Mr