Drunk teenager fell to his death while scaling a wall as he took a shortcut home from the pub
Sam Marriott, 19, regularly took a shortcut home through the grounds of the hotel in Sidmouth, Devon, an inquest heard
A DRUNK teenager slipped and fell to his death while scaling the wall of a hotel as he took a shortcut home from the pub, a court heard.
Samuel Marriott, 19, was found unconscious at the foot of the wall in the grounds of Sidholme Hotel in the early hours of the morning.
His mother told a coroner Sam had been out drinking, and regularly took a shortcut home through the grounds of the hotel in Sidmouth, Devon.
Guests at the Sidholme Hotel in the resort said they heard a 'loud thud' at 3.30am - but Sam was not discovered lying on the ground for two more hours.
Despite attempts to save him using CPR by hotel guests who were doctors and nurses, he died.
His mum Debbie Marriott said the 19-year-old had been his "normal happy self" as they watched rugby on the TV on Saturday, February 25th.
She said he would walk through the hotel grounds because it was a short cut to their home.
But at night the gates were locked but she said Sam may have been on "auto pilot" as he tried to climb over the wall to take the short cut home.
She said like many 19-year-olds he drank alcohol but Sam "did not know when to stop".
She said: "I'm surprised Sam thought to take the cut through late at night, but I suspect he was on auto pilot."
She added there was no logical reason for his actions and added: "I can only assume he was disorientated and possibly drunk. He was always a bit of a climber.
"He was a bright and engaging lad who was very popular and had lots of the horizon."
She said it was not unusual for Sam to go out and stay out until late before returning home to sleep in the early hours of the next morning.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The Exeter inquest heard he had also previously taken enhancing substances to help him focus on revision rather than for recreational purposes. He had studied at the Exeter Mathematics School.
She said Sam was a popular lad with a girlfriend who planned to travel after university.
Friends said they saw Sam in the early hours as he walked home and he was drunk but still "chatty and in a good mood".
Det Sgt Mark Aldershaw said he found "scuff marks" high up on the hotel wall.
The impressions from the footwear matched Sam's shoes.
The detective said: "It seems to me that Sam tried to climb the wall to the hotel while intoxicated in the middle of the night on his route home."
He said his mother confirmed he used it as a shortcut home and he had fallen from a height on to solid ground.
There were no suspicious circumstances and no third party involvement, he said.
The post mortem revealed Sam died from a head wound.
Toxicology tests showed he had twice the amount of alcohol permitted for drink driving in his blood - 175 mg of alcohol.
The Devon coroner Dr Elizabeth Earland concluded his death was accidental.
She said: "I am satisfied that in the early hours, approximately 3.30am Sam attempted to climb a wall at the Sidholme hotel and fell injuring is head fatally. Alcohol was a factor."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.