Multimillionaire businessman Joshua Pack was found dead at his London mansion following a row with his wife, an inquest has heard. The 51-year-old private equity chief, behind Majestic Wines and Poundstretcher, was discovered with a ligature around his neck in a locked bedroom in St John’s Wood in September.
Mr Pack’s wife, Jacqueline Pack, told Inner West London Coroner’s Court that her husband had been stressed about work and jet-lagged as he managed the expansion of his American fund into Europe. The couple had been “drinking on and off” before a heated argument over a flight booking, she said.
Mrs Pack described how the row escalated, with her husband taking out a knife and saying, “Stick it into me.” She added that both had threatened suicide but she never thought he meant it. The following morning, she left for the airport after receiving confirmation he had checked in, but later learned the airline had automatically checked him in.
Housekeepers entered the locked bedroom via a crawl space and found Mr Pack dead. Cleaners told police they had heard the couple “rowing all night”. Detectives found no evidence of third-party involvement or that Mr Pack had planned his death.
Senior coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, citing Mr Pack’s impulsive behaviour, jet lag, stress, and alcohol consumption. She described him as “incredibly talented” but ruled there was insufficient evidence of intent for suicide.
Mr Pack, a devout Catholic, leaves behind his wife and four children. The couple had been childhood sweethearts and married for 28 years.
