A DISTRAUGHT family told today how they are still waiting to discover why a piece of masonry fell from a York church and killed their mother - 32 months ago.

Debbie Exton died while paying her first visit to the city during stormy weather in January, 2002, when a pinnacle crashed from All Saints' Church in Pavement, striking her on the head.

Her devastated sons, Mark and Aaron, and daughter Nicola, say they expected York Coroner Donald Coverdale to hold an inquest within a year.

After more than two- and-a-half years, they are still waiting even for a date to be arranged.

"This is just adding to our agony," said Mark.

"Every day we wait it gets worse. We will never get over mum's death, but at least it will make it a bit easier to cope when the inquest has been held and we know what happened, and why. It's the not knowing that's the problem.

"We just don't know why it should be taking so long - it's unbelievable.

"We don't want this to ever happen to anyone else - both the accident itself and the wait for the inquest."

The family's anguish is similar to that suffered by two York couples who waited almost seven years between them before inquests were held earlier this year into the deaths of their children, Craig Archer and Hannah Longhorn.

The York coroner's charter states that the coroner will endeavour to hold inquests at the earliest possible date, with most taking place within six months of a person's death, although factors outside his control could cause delays.

The Teesside Coroner, Michael Sheffield, was given a severe reprimand in the summer by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, over a backlog of inquests which had left some families waiting more than two years for a verdict.

York Coroner Donald Coverdale told the Evening Press he had sent a comprehensive account of the arrangements for Debbie's inquest to the family's solicitors last Thursday.

He said that "subject to any representations as to the evidence (which I have fully disclosed) and as to availability dates," he would be fixing a date for the inquest this week.

He added: "Any delay in the allocation of a hearing date is regrettable. A small backlog of inquests is rapidly being cleared, as you will be aware from the conclusion of a greater than usual number of inquests in recent months.

"This initiative is being pursued and later this year a new case management system may be in place and this should streamline the coroner service in York even further."

York MP Hugh Bayley, who has expressed concern in the past about inquest delays in York, said that if the Extons would like to contact him, he would be helpful and sympathetic, and look into their problems.

We just want to know the truth

IT was Debbie Exton's first visit to York, and she was looking forward to seeing famous sights such as the Minster.

"She was excited," said her younger son Aaron, 22, the last family member to see Debbie alive before she set off on her three-day city-break with a friend.

"She thought it was a really nice city. She just said: "I'll see you in a couple of days."

But 45-year-old Debbie never got to see more than a glimpse of York's landmarks. It was a stormy day in January, but, having checked in at her hotel, she went out for a "reccy".

Without warning, as she was walking past All Saints' Church, in Pavement, a huge piece of masonry fell off, striking her on the head.

Debbie's other son, Mark, 25, was at the family home in East Leake, near Loughborough, Leicestershire, when a police officer called round with the terrible news.

"I couldn't believe it. I thought at first it must have been a road accident," he said. "I thought they must have made a mistake. My sister, Nicola, was uncontrollable really - hysterical."

The three children, who all lived at home with their mother, were devastated, as was Debbie's own mother, Norma, and Debbie's brother, Paul.

"She was a kind and caring and loving person," said Norma. "She was my best friend."

The family received a personal letter of condolence from the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, expressing his grief and distress at what had happened.

On the first anniversary of Debbie's death, the tight-knit family came up to York together to lay flowers at the site of the accident. By then, they had expected the inquest to have been held, allowing them to know how and why the pinnacle fell to the ground.

But when Nicola, 27, contacted the coroner's officers, she was told it was a complex case and reports were still needed from many different sources.

However, by last December, Nicola says she was told all the reports were in, and it was now up to the coroner to set a date.

"Now it's September 2004, almost a year after I'd been told all the reports had been collected, and almost three years after the accident happened, and still no date for the inquest has been set," she said.

"Our solicitor and doctor have been in contact with the coroner to try to speed up the process but to no avail."

Paul, fighting back tears, said: "What are you supposed to think? We want to know all the facts, as to how it happened and why it happened."

Updated: 10:02 Monday, September 13, 2004