Obituary

MURDER, suicide, sudden death and treasure were a part of life for George Graham during his 32 years as the coroner for East Lancashire.

Mr Graham, 67, who died peacefully in his sleep on Friday night, was 30 when he became the youngest coroner in the country in 1960.

Together with his wife Margaret as his personal assistant, he investigated some of the most remarkable cases ever to occur in East Lancashire.

Among them was one dubbed the burning body case in which a clay likeness was used to identify Sabbir Kassam Kilu, a murder victim whose body was torched in Great Harwood.

Other more light hearted work came about because of the coroner's role in deciding whether buried treasure is the property of the Crown.

Mr Graham ruled after two workmen discovered a gold hair ring, bracelet and axeheads and when a man carrying out DIY discovered a biscuit tin full of sovereigns.

The solicitor, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, spent his final years living at the Rowans Nursing Home, Whalley New Road, Blackburn.

Mr Graham began his legal career serving articles with Fred Dewhurst in Blackburn after graduating from Manchester University.

In 1954 he became assistant to H Ogden and Co of Burnley and was in charge of their Blackburn office until becoming a partner with Alderman R H G Horne in 1958 and two years later he was appointed as coroner.

He later became a partner in the Collier and Graham estate agency chain before leaving in 1991 to join J and J Sharples as a part-time consultant. In 1973 he was elected President of the Blackburn branch of the Royal British Legion

He was a member of the Whalley Lodge of the Freemasons and more recently transferred to the Blackburn Lodge when he became unable to travel due to ill health.

He was also an active member of the Blackburn Conservative Party and stood for election during the 1956 Blackburn by-election.

Mr and Mrs Graham have a daughter, Jillian, and enjoyed taking holidays in the Spanish island of Minorca.

Andre Rebello, current coroner for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, said Mr Graham was known and liked by a lot of people.

He added: "He had been ill for a long time. Thankfully he died peacefully in his sleep."

Blackburn solicitor Owen Sharples worked alongside Mr Graham for 33 years and continued the business relationship, with Mr Graham acting as a consultant at the J and J Sharples practice until just a few months ago.

Mr Sharples said: "He was very much an individual. The volume of administration he was able to keep up with over the years was really quite fantastic.

"He certainly lived his life to the full. It was just sad that because of his illness he was not able to live the sort of life he enjoyed."

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