Tree surgeon death plunge ...24 hours after this selfie

He took pic 75 ft up...then joked with mother ‘This job will kill me’

A TREE surgeon took a selfie 75ft up among the branches to joke with his mum that the job would kill him – and 24 hours later he was dead.

Paul Daniels, 36, was lopping the top off a large conifer hedge when he fell because his safety line was not hooked up properly.

His mother Donna told an inquest: “He loved his work but not the job they were on. He felt it was far too big and said ‘It’s going to kill me’.”

The coroner heard the dad-of-two, from Cheadle, Gtr Manchester, fell on his back and died of multiple injuries after part of the tree landed on him. He was concerned business partner Jessica Chandley had accepted £2,500 to prune 76 trees in four days at Hazel Grove Golf Club, Stock- port. An expert called it an “impossible” task after hearing only Mr Daniels, Miss Chandley and trainee Oliver Bancroft had been assigned to the project.

Miss Chandley told the Stockport inquest: “There was a crash and Ollie shouted ‘Oh my God’.” Mr Bancroft, who was on the ground, said: “Paul threw his tag line down. I heard him shout ‘No Ollie, wait, don’t pull’. “I didn’t pull but the rope went slack and he came out of the tree.” The coroner called for a probe into communication between team members. Det Insp Roger Edwards said: “We found pictures of Paul taking selfies up a tree and I understand Jessica Chandley wanted to take pictures before, during and after the job, which I think was dangerous.” Verdict: Accident.

FINAL IMAGE Paul, also pictured right, took this selfie

DEDICATED Paul Daniels