Liam Payne's family 'could have UK inquest after hotel death'

An inquest could be held in the UK to determine Liam Payne's cause of death. Circumstances surrounding the One Direction singer's death remain unclear but it is understood he may have accidentally fallen from a hotel balcony.

Initial reports suggest he had a number of drugs in his system at the time he fell on October 16. Payne had been in Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy before she left the country and returned to her Florida home alone.

The late singer - from Wolverhampton - remained at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, where he died. Officials in the Argentine capital are understood to be concluding their post-mortem examination.

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Histopathological, biochemical and toxicological tests have reportedly been requested, Mirror reports. Lead investigator Prosecutor Marcelo Roma demanded the tests after drugs were discovered in the singer's hotel room.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office said that tests in Argentina can 'take between 40 days and 12 months to become available, depending on the mortuary's resources'. But it is understood that the 31-year-old's body will shortly be released to his family so they can fly him back to the UK.

An insider said: "Given the circumstances of Liam's death, there is a real possibility his family could be subjected to an inquest back home. This is in no way designed to undermine the Argentina probe.

"But by law, when a British citizen dies abroad, the coroner is duty-bound to investigate. It is highly likely it will happen, and if so, it could be well into next year before the inquest is heard."

Coroners are required to investigate deaths that are 'sudden, violent, or unexplained', including accidents, suicides, or cases where foul play is suspected. Unless Payne is cremated or buried on foreign soil, there could be an inquest in the UK.

The coroner's role is to determine how, when, and where the person died. While Argentine authorities are currently handling his death, His Majesty's Coroner would have the legal authority to open an inquest once his body is returned to the UK.

This could happen even if a preliminary investigation has been conducted in Buenos Aires. An inquest in the UK often involves evidence from witnessess, reviews of medical reports, and a post-mortem examination.

The aim is not to establish criminal liability but to learn of the facts surrounding a death.