A full inquest into the death of a much-loved mum and grandmother who was murdered by her husband will not be held, a senior coroner has ruled.
Yvonne McCann, 46, known as 'Von', was strangled by her estranged husband Thomas McCann, who then dismembered her and dumped her body parts in bin bags at a recycling centre and at Reddish Vale Country Park close to their home in Brinnington, Stockport, in May, 2020.
McCann, of Rosslave Walk, Brinnington, pleaded guilty to murder and was jailed for life in March last year. A judge ruled he must serve a minimum sentence of 13 years and four months, less time already served in custody.
An inquest had been initially opened following her death but was halted, as is the usual practice, for the criminal proceedings to take place. Christopher Morris, area coroner for Greater Manchester South, heard submissions at a pre-inquest review at Stockport Coroners' Court on Friday. His ruling - later welcomed by Yvonne's children - means her death can now, finally, be formerly registered.
Mr Morris said: "Criminal proceedings have taken place in relation to her death. Those proceedings have been concluded with a guilty plea and a conviction for Mrs McCann's murder."
He said an inquest would not, ordinarily, be resumed after a criminal case and conviction because of the evidence already taken at an opening and the evidence heard in the criminal court.
The hearing was also told a 'domestic homicide review' involving Greater Manchester Police and Stockport Council had also taken place and now been concluded after the conviction.
Mr Morris said the family didn't want an inquest because they had 'been through enough' and that they believed the details an inquest would be held to confirm - who a person was and when, where and how they met their death - had already been established.
The council, the hearing was told, also believed there was 'nothing left to determine' by an inquest, a view shared by the police. The coroner, however, said a member of the family, Yvonne's sister, held 'a different view' and believed there were 'deficiencies' in the police investigation and in 'matters determined' in the criminal case.
Making his ruling, Mr Morris said: "Mrs McCann's three children are of the very strong view that an inquest would achieve nothing, other than prolonging the family's anguish. Her sister takes a different view. It is her strong view that an inquest should take place."
The coroner said he was 'entirely satisfied' that matters an inquest would seek to determine had been dealt with by Yvonne's inquest having been opened and the subsequent criminal case.
"I hope at last that my decision gives some of you some peace of mind," said Mr Morris.
Outside court Yvonne's daughter, Rachel Lawson, 26, welcomed the ruling and said: "We are now at the end and we can get on with our lives. We will never forget her but now we can grieve in peace."
The murder followed a row about a bag of frozen chips left out of the freezer, Manchester Crown Court heard during McCann's sentencing hearing. A dog walker found human remains in three black bin bags in the country park on May 25, 2020, and they were later confirmed to be those of Yvonne.
Police said after the sentencing hearing that hours later, McCann reported his estranged wife as missing. GMP said in a statement: "McCann's cover-up story raised concerns with officers and he was arrested and taken into police custody for questioning, where he initially denied the murder.
"Detectives carried out a number of lines of enquiry and also found that a family member had discovered that McCann had Yvonne's phone which had text messages sent from Yvonne's to say she was at a family barbecue - which was not the case.
"The investigation team believe the last time Yvonne was alive is from a witness account from a neighbour where an argument was heard at an address on Rosslave Walk at around 9am on Saturday, May 23. It is after then that detectives believe McCann has dismembered Yvonne's body.
"CCTV analysis by the Major Investigation Team showed McCann putting a number of heavy bags into the boot of his vehicle on Rosslave Walk just before 3.45pm on May 23. Around 20 minutes later, the vehicle leaves the address, then returns at around 10.47pm and leaves again.
"Not long before 1am, the vehicle is spotted parked on Blackberry Way and McCann is seen removing backs from the boot of his car and walking towards Moat Walk Park. Another camera then shows him walking towards the site where the dog walker made the discovery."
After four subsequent police interviews, the killer admitted in a statement: "I killed my wife and disposed of her in the garbage."
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