Gran who carried 10lb handbag fell over cliff to her death

A GRANDMOTHER who plunged to her death over a cliff may have lost her balance because her handbag was too heavy, an inquest heard.

Maureen Bean insisted on carrying the huge bag – packed full of household objects including diaries and even a small toolkit – despite warnings that it was too heavy for her.

The 79-year-old had it slung over her right shoulder as she walked with her husband Derek and friends at Portland Bill, Dorset, but when she went close to the cliff edge she disappeared from sight.

Her horrified companions rushed to where they had last seen her only to find she had fallen around 18ft on to rocks.

Mrs Bean, from Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, suffered a fatal head injury in the fall on July 9.

A police officer found that the bag, which had long shoulder straps, weighed 10lb.

An inquest heard that although Mrs Bean had raised concerns about her balance with her GP, it is likely her handbag had made her unsteady.

The Bournemouth hearing was told she was known for packing the bag full of everyday objects. Her family had joked that she could always produce the right item from the bag, but had

‘She was quite stubborn’

warned her about its weight. Mrs Bean’s daughter Adrienne Kimber told the hearing: ‘She had everything you could possibly think of in the bag including a toolkit. I also told her that it was too heavy and that it would damage her shoulder but she was quite stubborn.’

Mr Sheriff Payne, the Dorset coroner, said Mrs Bean had raised concerns about her balance with her GP just one month before her death. He added: ‘No one actually saw what happened – she went off on her own.

‘There was no sign of disturbance to the cliff edge. One must assume therefore that she lost her balance, which may have been assisted by her handbag which was quite heavy.’ Mr Payne recorded that Mrs Bean’s death had been an accident.

Her family said later: ‘It has been determined that Maureen’s tragic and untimely death was the result of a terrible accident.

‘Maureen Bean leaves behind her a loving husband, two children and their spouses, a granddaughter and a sister, all of whom are devastated by her loss.’