A coroner has formally rejected the detailed account provided by the last person to see drag queen Darren Meah-Moore alive before his tragic death in a Cardiff lane, dismissing claims about sexual encounters and the placement of cardboard over his body.
Rejection of Key Claims in the Case
Coroner David Regan, presiding at Pontypridd Coroner's Court, stated he did not accept the man's version of events from the early hours of January 22, 2023. The man, who encountered Meah-Moore with his dog in Queen Street, Cardiff, at approximately 5:49 a.m., had claimed the pair engaged in mutual sex acts before his dog spontaneously joined in, allegedly encouraged by the drag artist.
Disputed Details of the Encounter
The coroner highlighted that Meah-Moore, a 39-year-old who had appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race, had spent time with other men earlier that night after leaving a nightclub, including joking about performing oral sex. Regan noted the drag queen followed the man and his dog into a lane toward a blind alley, where they were out of view for around 30 minutes, with no evidence of anything involuntary occurring during that period.
Critical to the case was the man's assertion that Meah-Moore fell asleep afterward, leading him to cover the drag queen with cardboard for warmth. Coroner Regan firmly rejected this, stating, "I don't accept that Darren was covered in cardboard by the man to keep him warm. On the evidence, he placed two sheets over him, and couldn't reasonably have expected this to provide any warmth." However, he added that he could not determine if the covering was for nefarious reasons due to insufficient evidence.
Questions Over the Dog's Involvement
Regarding the alleged incident with the dog, Regan, guided by medical testimony, said it would be "almost impossible" for the dog to perform such an act on a human without guidance and encouragement. He did not believe the dog joined in spontaneously, but noted there was no evidence to confirm whether Meah-Moore, who had a dog allergy, desired the animal's involvement.
"I don't accept the man's account that the dog penetrated Darren spontaneously without human act causing this to happen," the coroner stated. "Due to the absence of evidence, I am unable to determine whether the deceased sought sexual contact with a dog, equally there is no evidence he did not."
Open Conclusion on Cause of Death
After a week-long inquest, Coroner Regan returned an open conclusion on Meah-Moore's death. He found no evidence of trauma or natural disease as the cause and stated there was insufficient proof to link it to arrhythmia from dog penetration. Doctors did not rule out "fatal arrhythmia from an unknown cause," leaving the exact circumstances unresolved.
The case has drawn attention to the mysterious final hours of the drag performer, whose body was discovered covered by cardboard in a Cardiff city centre lane, with the coroner's findings casting doubt on the sole witness's narrative without providing definitive answers.
