Ellie Marsden, 20, and Ryan Duffy, 24, ‘seemed to be in good spirits’ earlier in the night, an inquest heard

An inquest has heard how a young couple were found dead hours after they were followed by a police vehicle.

Ryan Duffy, 24, and 20-year-old Ellie Marsden had travelled to Appleby Castle Hotel in Cumbria for a night away from their home town of Wigan.

They checked in at around 10pm on September 4, 2021, and “seemed in good spirits,” hotel duty manager James Usher told an inquest.

He added: “The man [Ryan] said something along the lines of ‘I just want to make her happy with a night away.’

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“Both were friendly. They seemed in good spirits.” An inquest heard today (Monday, March 10) that Ellie and Ryan went to Appleby’s Hare and Hounds pub where they remained until just after 12.30am.

The MEN reports that a police officer on mobile patrol in a marked Ford Transit near the town centre pub at Low Wiend saw Ellie getting into the passenger seat of a white Citroen Berlingo van, which was then driven away by Ryan.

The officer decided to follow the van, which was seen to travel the wrong way along a one-way street and then turned right on to Boroughgate.

from Ashton-in-Makerfield. , saw care assistant Ellie, of Golborne

Assistant coroner Joseph Hart said: “The officer followed the van onto rural roads around Appleby.

“At times, he seems to have lost sight of the van. You will hear about how the officer followed that vehicle on those rural roads.

“But at this stage, you should be aware that the officer didn’t illuminate his emergency blue lights.

“After a distance, the officer ceased to follow that vehicle, and he thought the driver might, in fact, have been aware of his presence.”

The officer notified police force control of his observations regarding the Citroen van.

He returned to Appleby and later pulled over a similar van in the town centre, which proved not to be the Citroen he had originally spotted.

At around 7.40am a married couple travelling along the narrow single carriageway C3057 road came across a crashed van.

Inside were the bodies of Ellie, who was from Golborne, and Ryan, of Ashton-in-Makerfield.

Witness Bill Offord said: “The van was straight off the road and had crashed into a big tree.”

There were reportedly skid marks on the road and extensive damage to the Berlingo.

“The front of the vehicle was destroyed. It must have had a huge impact on the tree,” Mr Offord added.

Before evidence began, assistant coroner Mr Hart told 11 jurors they would have to consider a number of issues during what was a “fact-finding” hearing to establish facts but not to apportion blame.

He said: “You will have to consider the movements and the observations of the police officer in Appleby town centre at the time Ellie and Ryan left the pub and got into the Berlingo van.”

Jurors would consider the route and journey taken by Ryan, who worked as a United Utilities leakage engineer.

Mr Hart said: “You will consider the corresponding movements and the speed of the police officer when he was following the van.

“You will have to consider whether the police officer was involved in pursuing the Duffy van. You will have to consider the officer’s decision to stop following that van.”

Ellie and Ryan’s mothers read tributes to the pair.

Ryan’s mum, Karen Duffy, said: “He was a larger-than-life character, always smiling and happy. He could light up a room with his infectious laugh.

“He was fearless and would have a go at anything. Ryan’s philosophy for life was to grab it by the horns and live it to the full. He made me proud every day.”

Ellie, said Ryan’s mum, was very special in his life with “two beautiful souls having been “taken too soon”. “I do know that the world is a poorer place for Ryan and Ellie not being in it.,” she said. “He was my world and will be missed always.”

Kelly Kennedy paid tribute to Ellie, daughter of Allan and sister of Chloe.

She said of the care assistant: “Ellie always wore her heart on her sleeve and had the most impeccable manners with a genuine kindness and love radiating from her.

Ellie was “loyal, loving, caring, kind and genuine.”

“So many hearts have been broken by Ellie’s loss. So many,” said her mum, who called her “indescribably special”.

She added: “She just wanted to make a difference, to make everyone happy. Every bone in her body was kind, loving and caring.

“She just wanted to make the world a better place. Equally, the world was a better place with Ellie in it.”

The inquest continues.