An inquest has opened into the death of a council auditor who collapsed whilst enjoying a swim at Oundle and was then kept waiting outside Peterborough City Hospital in an ambulance for seven hours. Lee Kilby, 51, was given CPR at Oundle before being taken to hospital, the inquest was told.
Sadly, he died there the following morning.
Mr Kilby, who as a teenager represented England at international swimming, won multiple awards and was just 15 when he was selected to swim for the England Youth Squad in Barcelona, his best event being the 400m Individual Medley.
“He continued to swim and represented his country all over Europe,” says a tribute from Loughborough University where he studied politics and social psychology in the 1990s.
The inquest, which opened at Huntingdon last week, has been adjourned for a full hearing at a later date.
Mr Kilby, of Nassington, collapsed at Oundle pool on September 26, 2022, and after being pulled from the water regained consciousness after CPR.
He was taken to Peterborough City Hospital, area coroner Caroline Jones, told the inquest, arriving at 2119 hours “but remained in the back of the ambulance for care until 0400 hrs on September 27”.
Ms Jones, reports the Hunts Post, said: “At this time, he became unresponsive following a suspected seizure and was taken off the ambulance to the resuscitation department.
“He was treated and went into cardiac arrest following 90 minutes of CPR and sadly declared deceased at 0640 hrs on September 27.”
A provisional cause of death was given as a heart attack and heart-related conditions.
Mr Kilby had been senior auditor at Peterborough City Council since 2021 but was particularly well known at Peterborough Regional College where, for 7 years to 2020, he had been a member of its audit committee and an external member governor.
He described it as a “voluntary position where I helped advise the governing body on the adequacy and effectiveness of the college’s systems of internal control and its arrangements for risk management.
“I provided advice and independent scrutiny of control and governance processes, helping promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness at the college.”
Pactrac Triathlon Club, based at Oundle School Sports Centre, were among those to pay tribute to Mr Kilby after his death.
One of their members wrote: “Some of you may be aware that Lee Kilby had to have CPR at Oundle Pool last night. The lifeguards brought him round and he spent the night in hospital as a precaution. Sadly, he made a turn for the worse in hospital overnight and passed away this morning.
“This is deeply sad news, and our condolences go to Lee’s family at this time. Lee was a regular swimmer in our sessions at Oundle and was taken far too early at only 51 years old.”
Loughborough University offered a fuller version of Mr Kilby’s sporting career and achievements,
Lee Kilby was born in Leicester but emigrated to New Zealand at the age of two. The alumnus was passionate about swimming and started the sport when he was young.
From an early age it was clear that Lee had a talent and at the age of 12 he was a top swimmer for his age in New Zealand.
His talent was recognised further at age 15 when he was selected to swim for the England Youth Squad in Barcelona, his best event being the 400m Individual Medley. He continued to swim and represented his country all over Europe.
The alumnus was an active member of the Loughborough University Swimming Team and continued his passion at many swimming clubs.
Lee swam at Belgrave, City of Leicester, City of Peterborough and Oundle and District. Lee won many medals and trophies from swimming competitions during his life, more recently swimming for pleasure and fitness.
After graduating from Loughborough, Lee got a job at the Graduate Training Programme within the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society.
During his time there, he found his niche working as an Auditor and continued his career in Audit throughout his life. Lee explored many roles in the sector including being a Field, Group, Senior Internal Auditor and Operations & Supply Chain Auditor throughout his career in Audit.
During his career, he worked for companies including, Cattles, KPMG, RNIB, Brakes Bros, Diligenta and his final post at Peterborough City Council.
In addition to his everyday work, Lee was a Voluntary Audit Committee Member and External Member Governor at Peterborough Regional College for over seven years.
Lee’s love of water and marine life continued as he became a qualified SCUBA diving instructor, enjoying many trips to dive sites round the British Isles and Europe.
Lee was married to Deborah and lived in Nassington in Northamptonshire. Together, they had their daughter Georgina who is 21 years old.
Lee sadly passed away on 27 September 2022 in sudden and unexpected circumstances.
