An inquest has been opened into the death of Isaac Clare-Watts, 26, who was found near the Nine Ladies Stone Circle in Stanton Lees, Peak District, on June 22. The hearing commenced as police continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, which is being treated as a "brutal" murder.
Szymon Babynko, 23, a Polish national, has been charged with Mr. Clare-Watts's murder and appeared in court on June 29. Babynko also faces an attempted murder charge related to an incident in Chesterfield on June 25. He is scheduled to appear at Derby Crown Court on September 25, with a trial anticipated in November or March.
Mr. Clare-Watts, a joiner from Carrington, Nottingham, was believed to have been attending summer solstice celebrations, which reportedly included music, singing, and dancing, with hundreds of attendees. His family has issued an appeal for anyone who was present at the event between June 19 and June 23 to contact the police and share any photographs or video footage that might assist in piecing together his final movements.
His mother, Christy Clare-Watts, identified her son's body at Leicester Royal Infirmary on June 24 and shared an emotional tribute online, describing him as "Isaac the Wonder Boy" and expressing their heartbreak. Mr. Clare-Watts had recently returned from traveling and harbored ambitions to explore the world further, including developing his Muay Thai skills in Thailand.
Colleagues at Frank Goulding Ltd, a building firm where he worked as a skilled joiner after starting as an apprentice in 2016, remembered him as a popular and valued member of their team. The company expressed deep sadness over the tragic news and extended their sympathies to his family.
The coroner, Susan Evans, has not yet received the results of Mr. Clare-Watts's post-mortem examination. The inquest proceedings have been suspended and will remain on hold until the conclusion of the criminal proceedings against Babynko. The coroner offered her condolences to Mr. Clare-Watts's family.
The Nine Ladies Stone Circle is a Bronze Age monument, traditionally believed to depict nine women turned to stone for dancing on a Sunday, according to English Heritage.