British Man Died After 80-Foot Fall From Malta Hotel Balcony
An inquest heard that Kieran Hughes, 25, fell from his sixth-floor hotel room in the early hours of the morning.
A British holidaymaker died after an 80-foot fall from his hotel balcony in Malta, an inquest has heard. Kieran Hughes, 25, a software engineer from North Wales, fell from his room on the sixth floor of the Cavalieri Art Hotel in St. Julian's at approximately 4:15 a.m. in July.
Hughes had been out with a friend, consuming alcohol including beer, cocktails, and limoncello, before returning to the hotel around 3:30 a.m. CCTV footage captured him falling from the balcony onto the street below about 48 minutes later. He was found on the ground wearing only boxer shorts.
A passerby alerted a hotel worker, who discovered Hughes. Police entered his hotel room and found his roommate asleep and heavily intoxicated. The roommate later told authorities that the pair had visited a casino and a nightclub.
An inquest determined that Hughes sustained multiple injuries from blunt force trauma due to the fall. Doctors noted that he did not break his arms, which might indicate an attempt to break a fall, suggesting he may not have realized he was falling. Evidence of severe alcohol intoxication was found, and CCTV showed the friends appearing intoxicated as they walked back to the hotel.
The coroner concluded that there was no third-party involvement or animosity between the friends. The death was ruled an accident, with the coroner stating that Hughes likely went onto the balcony for fresh air or due to feeling unwell while severely intoxicated, leading to the tragic fall.