South Wales Echo

MAN MAY HAVE TAKEN SELFIE BEFORE FALL

- JESSICA WALFORD Reporter jessica.walford@walesonlin­e.co.uk

A 40-YEAR-OLD keen runner fell from a cliff and died after “possibly taking a selfie”, an inquest has heard.

Andrew Lawton, known as Andy, had been seen walking along a cliff edge, near Nash Point Lighthouse, in the Vale of Glamorgan, before he is believed to have fallen.

But an inquest at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court heard that his family are unlikely to know what actually happened.

The inquest yesterday heard that Mr Lawton was a “sociable” person with a large group of friends.

He worked in Cardiff council’s HR department after a career change from working in catering and hospitalit­y.

His father, Barry Lawton, told the court Andy was tragically planning to go to see his family for “a week’s rest” a few days later which he was looking forward to before he tragically died.

He was also planning on purchasing a house in Cardiff.

Recently, his father said Mr Lawton had taken “a keen interest in his fitness”.

On July 5 earlier this year, Mr Lawton was spotted by a fisherman at Nash Point.

In a statement, Robert Edmynds, said he was walking back to the car park after going fishing when he saw Mr Lawton wearing running gear “fiddling with an electronic device”.

“Five to 10 minutes later I saw a person walking along the ridge of the cliff top,” he said.

He then left the scene, but later heard “someone went off the edge”.

It was a couple who found Mr Lawton’s body in the water.

They went to the local cafe, Clifftop cafe, where they asked the owner, Andrew Britton, for help.

He told the court in a statement: “They told me they could see a body floating in the water approximat­ely 50 yards from the shoreline.”

Police were called, and the coastguard and RNLI were scrambled.

Mr Lawton was pronounced dead at 11.45am by Clive Stevens, from HM Coastguard.

The inquest also heard that the cliff was described as “treacherou­s” by police. PC Anthony Ferguson said it was full of “loose rocks” which were “unstable”. He added: “When I stood on the top, it felt precarious”.

The court also heard that on August 4, weeks after Mr Lawton’s death, a lady came to the cafe and asked Mr Britton what had happened.

She said she had received a message from Mr Lawton at 6.10am on the day he died, saying something along the lines of: “Guess where I am?”

Mr Lawton’s father also said that he was a “bugger for taking selfies”.

But coroner Graham Hughes said what exactly happened could not be determined, but it was “possible he might have taken a selfie”.

The cause of death was recorded as multiple injuries to head, chest, pelvis and lower limbs.

Coroner Mr Hughes recorded an open conclusion.

Mr Hughes said: “It [Nash Point] is in an area where it is well know for deaths arising from suicide.

“But I have no evidence of any suicide allegation.

“My inclinatio­n is to record an open conclusion because there simple isn’t enough evidence to reach an accidental death conclusion”.

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 ?? JEANNE BEAR ?? Nash Point
JEANNE BEAR Nash Point

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