Tragic student in hotel window plunge after row with girlfriend
24-YEAR-OLD SAID HE ‘WANTED TO DIE’ BEFORE LEAPING TO HIS DEATH
A UNIVERSITY of Huddersfield student died after jumping from a seventh floor hotel window following a drunken row with his girlfriend as the couple celebrated her birthday, an inquest heard.
Giorgio Contardi, 24, said he “wanted to die” before “flying through” the hotel window and plunging to his death as his horrified partner, Konstantina Gkatzia, watched on.
The couple, described as “happy” and “in love”, had been drinking with friends in Leeds on March 23 last year when they began arguing over Giorgio’s alcohol consumption, the hearing was told.
The argument “got physical” after they returned to their hotel room and, as the altercation escalated, each of them threatened to break up with the other and claimed they “wanted to die.”
At the time of his death Giorgio was a masters student specialising in podiatric surgery at the University of Huddersfield.
It was heard he had planned to propose to his girlfriend at the top of the Empire State Building on a surprise trip to New York this year.
Giving evidence at Wakefield Coroner’s Court, Miss Gkatzia said her boyfriend’s last words were, “do you think I could ever hurt you”, to which she replied, “you just did.”
With tears streaming down her face, Miss Gkatzia added: “The next thing I know I just see him flying through the window, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“I ran up [to the window] and saw him fall on the floor.
“Everything happened in seconds, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.”
Giorgio, who was from Chesterfield, South Yorkshire, was rushed by ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary, where he was pronounced dead at 1.03am on March 24, 2019.
Miss Gkatzia told the court Giorgio had no history of mental health issues and the only time they ever argued, or became physical with one and other, was after he had been drinking.
The court heard the couple met at university and had been in a relationship for three-and-a-half years before they travelled to Leeds to celebrate Miss Gkatzia’s birthday on March 23.
They checked into room 711 of the Roomzzz hotel, where two of their friends were also staying, at around 5pm and Giorgio began drinking vodka a short time later, it was heard.
After getting an Uber cab to the city centre the group went to a bar and drunk approximately three cocktails each before going for a meal, where more alcohol was consumed.
Miss Gkatzia said: “Giorgio just kept finding it funny to order more drinks, drinks kept coming over all the time.”
After leaving the restaurant and heading back to the first bar Miss Gkatzia noticed her partner stumbling and instructed her group of friends to discreetly order him soft drinks without his knowledge.
However, after arriving at the bar Miss Gkatzia spotted Giorgio attempting to order alcohol and confronted him about his behaviour, which resulted in him storming out into the street.
Following a row the couple got into a taxi and returned to Roomzzz, where the argument escalated and the pair began hitting each other.
Miss Gkatzia told the court: “He grabbed me by my neck and he was holding me, I was a bit scared.
“In normal life Giorgio was anything but that, he wouldn’t touch a fly.
“The moment he let go of me I said, ‘that’s it, I’m breaking up with you.’.. I didn’t mean it.”
Miss Gkatzia then noticed Giorgio putting his hand out of a window, which he had opened because he was hot, and thinking his behaviour was “weird”.
She tried to close it but said she couldn’t because it was “jammed” and she asked Giorgio to try but he couldn’t shut it either.
Giving evidence, Miss Gkatzia said: “At one point Giorgio was saying ‘I want to die’ and I said ‘I want to die.’
“I didn’t really take him seriously, I knew the next day we would be fine again, it’s one of those things.”
She added: “I remember Giorgio saying, ‘Konstantina do you think I could ever hurt you?’
“I said ‘you just did,’ I shouted it.” It was at that point Miss Gkatzia says she saw Giorgio run towards the window and jump out.
His body was spotted by a number of passersby and an ambulance was called, which transported him to the hospital where he died a short time later.
Miss Gkatzia told the court she does not believe her boyfriend meant to kill himself.
She added: “There’s no chance on earth he would mean to do that... I think he was trying to make me worried.
“I’m 100% sure it was an accident. “Giorgio was the happiest guy I have ever met in my life.
“Five days before we were looking at flats and moving in together and starting our lives together.
“The only time we had problems was when Giorgio had a lot to drink.”
A pathologist’s report read to the court by coroner Jonathan Leach, ruled Giorgio, who was intoxicated, died from head injuries.
A jury decided Giorgio died as a result of suicide.
In a statement his family said: “This has been a very difficult time for us all.
“We are disappointed that the jury has reached a conclusion of suicide despite what we considered overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
“We would be grateful now if we could be left alone to grieve the loss of our beloved Giorgio.”