Inquest hears how Bognor man fell to his death

Christopher Riley from Bognor Regis was locked out of his room and tried to climb around a dividing wall between his son Nicholas' fourth-floor balcony and his own at the Sandbanks Hotel in Poole, Dorset.

The family had been at a Freemasons 'ladies' weekend at the luxury hotel and Mr Riley was drunk and had taken cocaine during the day of the ball on September 5.

His son, Nicholas, 24, told Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner's Court he had taken his 'hammered' girlfriend to bed and he was watching a DVD when his father knocked on his door.

The pair sat on the balcony looking at the sea and his father agreed to wait until his mother, Clair, came up with the key.

Nicholas said his father was 'really drunk' while he was 'a bit tipsy'.

Nicholas went to bed, leaving his father on the balcony, and said: "I had just dozed off just before he started shouting 'Nicky, help!'

"I ran on to the balcony and he was hanging from the rail of his balcony."

He added: "I couldn't reach him. I wanted to try and kick the door in first. The door was solid, so I ran back into my room, climbed over the balcony, I grabbed hold of him, but he was too heavy and he was a bit sweaty, too, so I couldn't get a grip."

Mr Riley fell about 40ft, hitting a balcony on his way down, in the early hours of September 6.

Nicholas ran downstairs in his boxer shorts to the back of the hotel, where he found his father.

"I rolled him over in the recovery position," he told the inquest in Bournemouth.

"He was gargling, it sounded like he was choking."

He told reception, who called for an ambulance, but Mr Riley, who was wearing his black tuxedo trousers and shirt, was confirmed dead at the hotel.

A post-mortem examination showed the 43-year-old scaffolder had suffered multiple injuries, including rib fractures which had punctured his lungs.

He was almost three times the legal drink-drive limit, with 230mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, and also had a trace of cocaine in his blood consistent with mild use.

Mr Riley had also been on antidepressants for several years since the death of a close friend.

Mr and Mrs Riley had been together for 24 years and had just celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary. The couple had three sons together, while Mr Riley had a son from another relationship.

The Rileys' extended family were at the hotel for a long weekend and had enjoyed a seven-course meal, speeches and a ball that evening.

Dorset police investigated the death, but found no suspicious circumstances.

Coroner Sheriff Payne gave an accidental death verdict and said: "Chris was drunk by the end of that evening.

"It would appear he went to his room at about 2am, but couldn't gain entry, and therefore knocked on the door of his son, which was immediately next door.

"After some brief conversation on the balcony, Nicholas went to bed and almost immediately heard his father shouting for help.

"He endeavoured to save him, he couldn't reach him initially and tried to kick the door in.

"Eventually, he climbed round from his balcony to his father's balcony next door. His father was unable to hold on any longer and fell to his death."

He added: "He wasn't able to survive very long with those injuries.

"He was nearly three times the legal limit for driving and (had taken) some cocaine, which the toxicologist said was equivalent to mild use. Both of these drugs are consistent with inappropriate behaviour and poor decision-making.

"Although he was a scaffolder, he hadn't worked at a height for some time.

"Nicholas would have been concerned about his father working or being involved at that sort of height and, normally, he would be working free of alcohol intoxication."

He added: "This has brought a happy family weekend to a tragic close."

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