Dead boater was drunk

A BOATER, nearly three times over the legal driving limit who had also been taking cannabis, fell from a balcony, and was killed.

A coroners' court heard that David Westby who lived on his narrowboat at Phœnix Marina on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal  normally drank ten pints of cider and took five 'spiffs' of cannabis of an evening, but this time he staggered to a third floor balcony and fell to his death, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Renovating narrowboat

He was renovating his narrowboat during the day, having given up his office job, and was celebrating his forthcoming wedding.

He was later found on the ground beneath the balcony of the Harbourside flat where he was staying with his fiancée by a security guard who came to investigate after hearing  a 'thud'.

A post-mortem revealed that he had 233 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood—nearly three times the drink-drive limit.

Accidental death

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Assistant Deputy Coroner Philip Howells stated:

"I think his death arose directly from his having drunk so much alcohol that he was unsteady on his feet, and he sat on the balcony and fell to his death."