Sun, 21st Mar 2010
National News
Family await post-mortem on Gately
10:07am Tuesday 13th October 2009
The family of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately could be given permission to take his body home, a Spanish court official said.
Officials said the post-mortem examination on the star was complete, paving the way for court officials in Palma to release his body if there are no suspicious circumstances.
Mr Gately's partner, Andrew Cowles, who was at court, has already been informed of the post-mortem result.
It was hoped the examination at a forensic institute in Palma would shed light on how Gately died. However, toxicology tests were likely to take longer.
Police on the holiday island have already said there were "no signs of suspicious circumstances". But a Palma police spokesman said they hoped the post-mortem examination would shed light on exactly what happened.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for Gately's family said that they believe his sudden death was due to natural causes. Gerald Kean told GMTV: "This sort of thing does happen, we are absolutely happy that there is no foul play."
The family are certain no drugs were involved in his death and they do not suspect suicide, he added. "Their sole purpose and function at the moment is to try and get their son and brother home as quickly as possible," he said.
A man who was at Gately's apartment on the night he died has described seeing the singer's lifeless body. Georgi Dochev, 25, said the star was "very cold and white". He told reporters he found Gately's body on Saturday and alerted Gately's partner, Andrew Cowles.
Bulgarian Mr Dochev is believed to have accompanied Gately and Mr Cowles back to the apartment in the resort of Port Andratx in the early hours of Saturday after a night out. Mr Dochev has spoken to police who are investigating the death.
Gately's devastated Boyzone bandmates, who flew to the Spanish island on Sunday, returned home on Monday night.
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