Young man crushed to death in bin wagon

Father-of-one Chris Ogden, 23, climbed into the large waste container outside Huddersfield bus station to keep warm in the early hours of a cold winter’s day last January, an inquest heard.

Around an hour later the bin lorry arrived, emptied the skip and later unloaded at the Leeds Paper Recycling Depot where his body was later found on a conveyor belt.

Assistant coroner Dominic Bell recorded a verdict of accidental death but added that it was related to Mr Ogden having been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis.

At this point in the hearing Mr Ogden’s parents Sharon and Jason and brother Philip left the courtroom, saying the verdict made Mr Ogden look like a drug addict.

During the hearing the family repeatedly questioned whether the binmen had first checked the skip for rough-sleepers. The drivers said they had, although it was not possible to carry out a thorough check.

The inquest in Bradford heard Mr Ogden, who had a son, two, had fallen asleep in a club during the night out and rowed with door staff. He was caught on CCTV “staggering” in the town centre and had fallen asleep while leaning on a door.

Just before 5am CCTV captured him climbing on top of the skip.

Detective Constable Mark Willetts said police had found no evidence of criminal action or neglect by either the bus station, recycling firm or bin lorry drivers.

The coroner said Mr Ogden had been the “architect of his own misfortune”, adding: “The conclusion I will be formally recording will be one of accidental death, alcohol and drug related.”

He would be writing to Kirklees Council to “explore the possibility of remedial measures” for binmen to check skips and bins for people sleeping inside.