Bizarre death of church man

Apr 27 2007

By Will Sutton, Evening Gazette

A church organist was found dead at his Teesside home naked inside a giant plastic bag.

Ian Kemp, 48, from Stockton, was found alone in his house bound by his wrists and shins, an inquest heard.

A vacuum cleaner was also connected to the bag and it is believed Mr Kemp died after the machine had sucked all the air out of the bag.

The inquest heard there were no suspicious circumstances but Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield said such incidents were sometimes connected to sexual gratification.

Mr Kemp, the organist at Hardwick Baptist Church, was found by family friend Vivienne Brand on January 26. He had lived alone since the death of his mother.

Detective Inspector David Turnbull of Cleveland Police told the inquest he was called to the house in Evenwood Close at 10.40pm that night.

He said: “I saw the body of a small naked man lying inside a large plastic bag in the foetal position.”

DI Turnbull said Mr Kemp’s legs were tied at the shins by brown parcel tape and his wrists were tied together by a silver chain.

Teesside Coroners Court heard the vacuum cleaner was attached to the plastic bag and was switched on when the body was found.

Det Insp Turnbull added: “There was a roll of parcel tape nearby.”

He described how Mr Kemp’s friend switched off the vacuum and the body was taken to North Tees University Hospital.

Home Office pathologist Dr Peter Cooper gave the cause of death as suffocation. He said: “I do not see how he could have been forced into that position.”

Toxicology tests showed Mr Kemp had not taken any alcohol or drugs.

Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield said: “Mr Kemp was well thought of and a well-liked man. He was involved with the Baptist Church.

“It was clear that Ian Kemp placed himself inside the bag, using the chains and the binding on his legs.

“The vacuum cleaner sucked the air out of the bag and he died of suffocation. There were no signs he intended to end his life.

“It can be done for some form of sexual gratification but it’s not clear what Mr Kemp’s intentions were.”

Mr Sheffield recorded an open verdict. The inquest heard that evidence of identification had been provided by Mr Kemp’s cousin, Melville Chisnall.

Philip Tait, Minister at Hardwick Baptist Church, today paid tribute to Mr Kemp, who had been a member of the church for 26 years.

“He was a friendly man, a kindly man, always ready to give a helping hand,” he said. “He never married, and cared for his elderly mother for some years – if he felt that to be a burden, he never said so to me.”

The minister said Mr Kemp’s greatest contribution to the life of the church was through his music.

“He was a self-taught amateur, but one of the best church organists I have ever heard,” he said.

“What makes a good organist is not what he does in the hymns, but what he plays and how he plays when there is no set music. On that scale, Ian scored very highly indeed.

“He would play exactly the right piece, relevant to the service and appropriate to the point in the service. After the service he used to go on playing, which he loved to do. Or his friends would gather round the organ to speak with him.”

Mr Kemp’s organ is now kept in the church and used in services as a way of remembering him, he added.

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