The cause of alleged ‘murder’ victim Peter Crowley’s death remains under investigation, a coroner’s court heard.

Mr Crowley, 50, was found dead in his flat in Brome Place, Barton, on Sunday, April 24.

Detectives believe he was assaulted the previous evening outside the shops in Underhill Circus and taken home by friends.

READ MORE: Barton 'murder' victim named

Opening an inquest into his death this week, senior coroner for Oxfordshire Darren Salter said the cause of Mr Crowley’s death after a post-mortem investigation remained under investigation.

Oxford Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Crowley was born in Oxford in March 1972. He was not working at the time of his death and lived in a flat in Brome Place, Barton.

Oxford Mail: Brome Place, BartonBrome Place, Barton

He was found unresponsive in his flat on April 24 and his death was verified by a Thames Valley Police constable at 12.25pm.

Mr Crowley was formally identified at the John Radcliffe Hospital on April 26 by his father.

No date was set for the inquest. Whether or not a full inquest will be held depends on the outcome of the police investigation.

READ MORE: Police renew appeal for help a week on from Barton 'murder'

Although a full inquest is usually held following any unnatural death, if the person’s death is subject to a trial in the criminal courts an inquest may not take place.

The purpose of an inquest is to determine the identity of the deceased and how they came by their death.

Last weekend, seven days after Mr Crowley’s death, Det Insp Mike Roddy of Thames Valley Police renewed an appeal for any witnesses to the fight in Underhill Circus to contact 101.

"This is a complex case and we are still looking to ascertain the cause of Peter's death,” he said.

"We believe from reports that he was seriously assaulted the previous evening and have arrested two juveniles on suspicion of murder. They have both been released on conditional bail while our enquiries continue.

"I would urge anybody who believes that they may have witnessed an assault at around 9.30pm on April 23 to please get in touch with police, if you have not already done so. If you have CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage of the incident, we would be particularly keen to hear from you.

"Peter's family continue to be supported by specially-trained officers at this extremely difficult time. We are committed to piecing together the events that have led to his tragic death."

Supt Bruce Riddell, the policing commander for Oxford, added: "I know that this incident caused concern in the Barton community, but I would again reassure everyone that we do believe this incident is an isolated one and not linked to any previous incidences of violent-relating crime in the area.”

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