Holidaymaker died in fall from hotel balcony

AHARD-WORKING father who died after falling from a hotel balcony in St Ives had a history of mental health problems and was feeling pressured by his long hours at work, an inquest has heard.

Adrian Moon, 56, died after falling from a balcony on to rocks below the Pedn Olva Hotel on August 10 last year.

An inquest held at Cornwall Coroner’s Court in Truro last Tuesday heard he’d been on holiday with his wife and a couple of friends and was due to return home the following morning.

His fall was witnessed by a woman in the bar, who described him appearing to “lean too far” on the railings of the rooftop terrace.

The inquest heard Mr Moon worked as a bed engineer for Arjo Huntleigh Healthcare, supplying and maintaining beds in hospitals across the Midlands

He had a history of mental health problems, but had been reluctant to seek help.

He had been sectioned more than a decade before following a previous attempt to take his life but had refused to take medication or take time off work.

His wife Nicola described him as a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, son and brother who “would do anything for anyone”.

She said Mr Moon always “worked so hard” no matter what he had been facing in his personal life and would “never say no or let anyone down”.

In recent times Mr Moon, a father of two, had taken on more responsibility than usual in his job, working long hours and having only occasional Sundays off.

She said it was also common for him to become “worked up” over various health issues and symptoms he had experienced, but he would often decline to seek medical treatment.

He had become worried about money and affording a new car.

In a statement read to the hearing, a holidaymaker who witnessed Mr Moon’s fall from the hotel balcony said she had a clear view of him standing on the balcony but didn’t think anything of it at the time.

She later described how he “leaned forward and fell over the railings” saying it looked as though he’d simply leaned too far and lost his balance.

The witness’s husband made his way down to the rocks and tried to save Mr Moon’s life, putting him in the recovery position in accordance with the 999 call handler’s guidance, but he died at the scene.

The investigating police officer found there had been no thirdparty involvement in the death and no suspicious circumstances.

A subsequent health and safety investigation at the hotel, owned by St Austell Brewery, found the balcony was safe and in good repair, with no previous concerns over its safety having been expressed by staff or the public.

Emma Hillson, assistant coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said on the balance of probability she believed Adrian had purposefully leant over the railing, and aimed to take his own life.

She recorded a conclusion that his death was due to suicide.