A SIXTY-nine-year-old London man died after fracturing his skull after falling down the stairs, while visiting friends at their Newton Abbot home, an inquest head on Wednesday.

The inquest in Newton Abbot heard that widower Kenneth Brooks, who lived in Ridge Lea, Hemel Hampstead, came to Teignbridge to visit his friends, Ron and Maureen Helps, in March this year.

Mr Helps stated at the inquest that Mr Brooks – who he called Jim – had worked with him for a few years and they became friends.

Mr Helps said that he and his wife supported Mr Brooks when his wife died in 2002, and they had invited him to their Newton Abbot home twice.

On March 24, Mr Brooks arrived at the home of Mr and Mrs Helps and they had an evening meal.

After eating their food, the three of them stayed at the table chatting and drinking.

Later, Mrs Helps went to bed, and both Mr Brooks and Mr Helps continued to chat and drink.

Coroner Ian Harrow asked Mr Helps how much Mr Brooks had had to drink. He replied: 'He had four cans of lager and a bottle of Becks. I don't know his drinking habits, but we always drank sensibly. He seemed normal and was laughing and joking.'

Mr Helps said that Mr Brooks got up to go to the downstairs toilet at 10.30pm, and then he heard a 'thud'.

Mr Helps went to the top of the stairs and peered over, and saw Mr Brooks lying at the bottom of the stairs.

Mrs Helps then called an ambulance.

Mr Brooks – a retired managing director of an air conditioning company – was taken to Torbay Hospital where he died the following day.

He was later identified by his daughter, Samantha Brown.

At the inquest, coroner's officer Judith Dunn said that during a post mortem by histopathologist Nicolas Riley, a blood test conducted found 320mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.

She said that Mr Brooks had died from a haemorrhage and a fractured skull from falling down the stairs.

Coroner Mr Harrow said that he was satisfied that no other party was involved in the death of Mr Brooks and concluded that he had died in Torbay Hospital as a result of falling down the stairs.

Mr Harrow recorded a verdict of accidental death.