Computer scientist died after accidental cliff fall
A MAN was found dead after accidentally falling from cliffs following reports that he was missing, an inquest heard.
Joel Dearden, 41, a computer scientist, died after falling from Clover Cliff in Rhossili, Gower, on July 26, 2020, an inquest in Swansea was told.
Mr Dearden had been reported missing by his family the previous evening after not returning from a trip to a DIY store in Cardiff and failing to respond to calls and messages.
Assistant coroner Aled Gruffydd told the inquest that Mr Dearden had a history of depression but had sought help and shown no intention to end his own life or of harming himself in the past.
At the hearing, Detective Constable Louise O’brian described how a group of surfers reported seeing Mr Dearden “falling from the cliff into the sea” at around 10am on Sunday, July 26. The group had been “alerted by his scream,” she said.
A HM Coastguard helicopter was called but, after being recovered from the water, Mr Dearden was pronounced dead at the scene.
DC O’brian said that body-worn camera footage from officers attending the incident showed it was “very blustery” in Gower on the day in question.
Mr Dearden’s vehicle was located in the nearby Rhossili Bay car park and a rucksack containing his mobile phone and other personal belongings was found at the top of the cliff.
CCTV from Bay Bistro, adjacent to the car park, showed Mr Dearden’s car arriving in the car park shortly before 9am on July 26.
The police investigation and post-mortem report found no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Dearden’s death and footage showed no thirdparty involvement.
In closing remarks, Mr Gruffydd said that, following a missing person report, officers from South Wales Police located Mr Dearden’s car parked in a lane near Sarn at around 3am on Sunday, July 26.
“Police knocked on the car window and were able to speak to Joel. He confirmed he just needed some time to himself and he’d go home in the morning. I am satisfied, on the balances of probabilities, that this was not a suicide attempt. Joel did not intend to deliberately jump off the cliff, it is my view that he lost his balance or slipped,” he said.
A statement from Mr Dearden’s family described him as “a very intelligent man and his family were very proud of him. He was kind, caring, and always put others first”.
In a statement, Sir Alan Wilson, from the Alan Turing Institute where Mr Dearden worked, said he was “probably the single best research collaborator” he had worked with and “everyone here will remember Joel as a gentle and warm person”.
A conclusion of accidental death was recorded.