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BBC star Mark Speight is 'cleared' over fiancee's death
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08 January 2008
The presenter was arrested and bailed on suspicion of murder and supplying Class A drugs after the body of his fiancee, fellow presenter Natasha Collins was discovered.
A statement released by police into the "unexplained" death said that the man in his 40s arrested at the scene had had his bail over suspicion of murder cancelled.
It added that he remained bailed to return in February regarding suspicion of supplying Class A drugs.
At an inquest opening at Westminster Coroner's Court, police said further tests are being carried out after a post-mortem examination yesterday was deemed "inconclusive".
Detective Inspector Simon Whittaker said: "The death is deemed to be non-suspicious, but the cause is subject to further investigation."
Speight, 42, who presents BBC's children's arts programme SMart, discovered Miss Collins's body in the bathroom of their rented £500,000 flat last Thursday.
It is understood he told detectives his fiancée had taken cocaine. The former public schoolboy, described by BBC colleagues as a "party animal", has denied he had anything to do with the tragedy.
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Mystery: Natasha Collins was found dead in the bath at the London penthouse flat she shared with Mark Speight
At the inquest opening, coroner Dr Paul Knapman read a brief statement from Coroner's Officer Linda Martindill in which she stated that Speight identified the body to police as that of his fiancée on Thursday, January 3.
Speight, originally from Wolverhampton, is best known for SMart, which has run for more than 10 years.
He shot to fame as the rubber-faced presenter of children's ITV Saturday morning show Scratchy & Co.
Collins starred alongside him on the BBC children's show See It Saw It.
The BBC cancelled Saturday's scheduled showing of SMart but has not yet made a decision on whether next week's episode will be screened.
A new series of SMart is not scheduled until the end of the year.
Children's TV presenter Mark Speight is no longer being treated as a murder suspect by police.
The presenter was arrested and bailed on suspicion of murder and supplying Class A drugs after the body of his fiancee, fellow presenter Natasha Collins was discovered.
A statement released by police into the "unexplained" death said that the man in his 40s arrested at the scene had had his bail over suspicion of murder cancelled.
It added that he remained bailed to return in February regarding suspicion of supplying Class A drugs.
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