Court hears of tragic death of hospice chief

Former St Luke's Hospice chief executive Christina Quinn

- By MAXINE DENTON

Former St Luke's Hospice chief executive Christina Quinn

(PAUL SLATER/ ST LUKE'S HOSPICE)

AN inquest has heard of the “tragic accident” off the coast of Egypt in which a Plymouth woman died, along with two other British nationals. Christina Quinn - who was the chief executive of St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth - Steven Hill and Paul Darling died in a boat fire on June 11, 2023.

An inquest into Steven Hill’s death held at Kent and Medway Coroner's Court on Thursday heard how “limited information” has been received about what caused the blaze, a coroner has said. The 73-year-old from Ashford was described as a “kind, loyal and supportive man’.

The trio had chosen to stay in their rooms on the scuba vessel while the other 12 passengers went for an early morning dive, when the boat went up in flames. The court heard how Mr Hill, with Ms Quinn and Mr Darling, are presumed to have been asleep in their cabins when the fire started, but this was never confirmed.