A QUESTION mark is hanging over the cause of a fire which killed a vulnerable 71-year-old man, a coroner and police agreed today.

Clifford Sanger, known as Fred, died from smoke inhalation at his fifth floor flat in Curtis House, Ladderswood way on April 11 this year after a fire began on s sofa in his living room.

The case was referred to the murder squad after Mr Sanger’s flatmate, Dionne Moy, who was badly burned in the fire, said that she was responsible. But her statement has thus far been discounted by the authorities, as she made it while heavily sedated at Broomfield Hospital’s burns unit in Chelmsford.

DC Mike Stubbins, of the murder and homicide investigation unit, said: “We assessed there to be suspicious circumstances because of what the woman [Ms Moy] said while she was at the burns unit. She said something along the lines of, 'I started the fire and I am going to get nine or ten years for this'.”

He went on: “It wasn’t pushed any further by the Crown Prosecution Service. There wasn’t enough evidence to proceed. In the burns unit Ms Moy was heavily sedated on morphine and a lot of things said were unreliable, and when interviewed they were not repeated.”

“The investigation was fully pursued in relation to Ms Moy’s statement. We can’t say if the fire was a deliberate act.”

Coroner Andrew Walker said: “The difficulty with this inquest is it is impossible to rule out a deliberate act on the part of any person. Unfortunately this inquest cannot answer all of the questions that have been raised.”

He recorded an open verdict.

None of Mr Sanger’s family were at the inquest, at Hornsey Coroner’s Court, but two Curtis House residents who attended said they wanted the case to be re-opened by police.

Mr Sanger had also refused offers of help from social services a few months before his death, after concerned neighbours said he had become withdrawn.

Mr Sanger, a widower, was found lying unconscious on his side, in his hallway at about 2am.

He died at 4am at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.

Ms Moy, who was believed to be in her forties, was found lying on her back in a bedroom. She was taken to hospital with severe burns to her face. Both Ms Moy and Mr Sanger were smokers.

Andrew King, investigating officer from the London Fire Brigade said he couldn’t say for sure whether the fire was accidental or deliberate.

The fire was discovered by Gareth Georgeson, who was believed to be Ms Moy’s boyfriend, but did not live at the flat.

PC Benjamin Zappe, who spoke briefly to Mr Georgeson on the night, said: “I understood from my colleagues that there was smoking and drinking inside the flat and that might have been the cause.”

DC Stubbins later agreed there were a lot of unanswered questions in the case. He said: “If any new evidence comes up we will look at it. The fire could have started in any number of ways.”

Mr Sanger, who was born in St Pancras, hospital, lived in Enfield for many years, working at Sainsbury’s Homebase in New Southgate. He had been married to Maureen, a secretary, who died in 1991.

Friends said he had recently become withdrawn and started to drink.

Concerned neighbours met with Southgate MP David Burrowes several months before he died, who then referred the case to social services and the antisocial behaviour team, because of concerns over his welfare.

Mr Burrowes said: “I knocked on his door twice, but there was no answer. Neighbours said he had been very friendly, but for a period of time he refused having any contact.

“They were concerned about the change in his behaviour and felt he was under the influence of others and being exploited.”

Fire crews from Southgate were commended for their “courage and bravery” in the rescue, which involved Mr Walker entering the smoke-filled properties on three occasions.