The death of a man in what police initially investigated as a one-punch murder will be the subject of an inquest later this year.

Conrad Welch, 63, died at the John Radcliffe Hospital eight days after he was knocked to the ground in Ship Street, in Oxford’s city centre, on the evening of June 11.

Detectives arrested four young men, all in their early 20s and from Oxfordshire, on suspicion of murder. However, no further action was taken against all but one of the four suspects initially arrested.

And the probe was eventually shelved after the officers’ main suspect, who was not identified, was killed in a crash on the M25 in May.

READ MORE: Chief suspect in 'murder' probe dies in M25 crash, police say

Mr Welch’s inquest was opened at Oxford Coroner’s Court on Wednesday (October 18), when senior coroner Darren Salter made arrangements for the full case to be heard in December.

Oxford Mail: Ship Street, Oxford, where the alleged assault took place Picture: Ed NixShip Street, Oxford, where the alleged assault took place Picture: Ed Nix

The coroner said the cause of Mr Welch’s death was given as pulmonary embolism – a blood clot in the lungs – resulting from a rupture of disks in his spine.

“This is a case that was investigated by the police with a view to criminal proceedings but is now being dealt with in the coroner’s court,” Mr Salter said.

At the time of Mr Welch’s death, Thames Valley Police said he had got into a ‘disagreement’ with two other men on a S3 bus. He had got on the bus at a Woodstock Road stop at around 10.30pm on June 11.

Their argument continued after they alighted the vehicle in Magdalen Street at around 10.45pm.

Earlier this summer, on the second anniversary of the attack, Thames Valley Police said the outstanding suspect died on May 26 after a road traffic collision on the M25 on May 22.

Surrey Police was said to be investigating the fatal crash.

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A Thames Valley spokesman said: “Mr Welch’s family have been updated and they continue to be supported by our officers. Our thoughts remain with them, through what has been a very difficult time for them.”

Oxford Mail: Conrad Welch Picture: Thames Valley PoliceConrad Welch Picture: Thames Valley Police

In a tribute released in the weeks after Mr Welch’s death in 2021, his family said they were ‘devastated and heartbroken’ by his ‘shocking’ loss.

They described him as a loving, caring and responsible father and grandfather.

“We never got the chance to say goodbye; unspoken words you’ve left behind, undone things we’ll never do, no sharing thoughts you never knew,” his family added.

Mr Welch’s inquest will be held on December 12 at Oxford Coroner’s Court.