(Image: Baroda Stud)
A 25-year-old man was found dead in a burnt-out car in North Yorkshire after a fire likely started by a cigarette, an inquest has heard.
Hugh Mulryan was found dead inside the Volkswagen Passat parked in a layby in Marishes Lane, near Malton, at about 4am on June 16, 2025.
Coroner Jonathan Leach concluded that Mr Mulryan’s death was an accident. His cause of death was given as smoke inhalation.
Mr Mulryan, from County Galway in Ireland, moved to Ryedale two days before his death to start a new job at racehorse trainer Adrian Keatley's yard near Norton.
The inquest heard that Mr Mulryan met Mr Keatley at the Spotted Cow pub in Malton the night before his death to discuss his new job.
Mr Keatley, in a statement read at the inquest, said Mr Mulryan drank four or five pints of Guinness but did not appear to be drunk when he left the pub in his car at about 10pm on June 15, 2025.
Mr Leach said the level of alcohol found in Mr Mulryan’s system was “just over” the legal drink drive limit.
Hugh Mulryan while working at Baroda Stud in Ireland
(Image: Baroda Stud)
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service investigated the blaze and found that the cause of the fire was accidental.
Anna Atkinson-Spragg, station manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, told the hearing that the investigation revealed the fire started in a front footwell of the car.
She said it was likely that smoking material, such as a cigarette, came into contact with flammable material in the car, which could have been seat belts or foam in the seats.
Ms Atkinson-Spragg said it could not be determined whether Mr Mulryan had been asleep when the fire started.
Police found the car mostly burnt-out with a small fire still burning at 4am on June 16, 2025, and called firefighters to the scene.
Hugh Mulryan while working at Baroda Stud in Ireland
(Image: Baroda Stud)
Firefighters extinguished the fire and found Mr Mulryan’s body inside the vehicle. His death was confirmed by police at 7.30am on June 16, 2025.
Ms Atkinson-Spragg said the car was parked in an “extremely rural” area, meaning the flames were not likely to have been seen from a main road.
Meanwhile, the inquest heard that Mr Mulryan was involved in a crash around an hour after leaving the Spotted Cow.
The court was told that Mr Mulryan's Passat crashed with a Vauxhall Astra, carrying a couple on holiday from Merseyside, between the A64 interchange at Malton and Marishes Low Road.
John Kavanagh was in the passenger seat of the Astra, driven by his wife Nora, and said Mr Mulryan drove off after the crash towards the A169.
Mr Kavanagh said Mr Mulryan had driven the wrong way around a roundabout and collided with their vehicle.
He described Mr Mulryan as being “remarkably calm” after the crash which made Mr Kavanagh feel Mr Mulryan had been drinking alcohol, the inquest heard.
The court heard that no one was injured during the crash.
'Such a great chap' with a 'very bright future'
Mr Mulryan had spent time working with trainers Denis Hogan and Sir Mark Prescott as well as Baroda Stud in County Kildare before moving to England.
A Baroda Stud spokesperson said Mr Mulryan studied law alongside his work and was “such a great chap” and “very smart”.
Mr Hogan told the Racing Post that Mr Mulryan was set for a "very bright future", adding: “He could have done anything he wanted, but was just so keen on horses.”