Inquest: Elderly man died after “accidental fall” from cliff

Saturday 02 September 2017

An inquest has concluded that a 77-year-old man died after accidentally falling around 120 metres from a cliff at Grosnez.

Donald Bewhay’s body was recovered from a deep gulley at the foot of a cliff at Grosnez on 27 December last year.

Relief Coroner, Advocate Cyril Whelan, conducting the inquest at Morier House (pictured), ruled that since suffering a stroke in April 2013, Mr Bewhay had become “increasingly unsteady and confused.”

After hearing medical evidence from Consultant Pathologist Dr Bruce Lyons, who conducted a post-mortem on the body, Advocate Whelan summed up that Mr Bewhay had met his death “after a fall from a considerable height with catastrophic consequences.”

The inquest heard that there was no evidence that Mr Bewhay had intentionally taken his life or that there were any suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.

In a statement, Mr Bewhay’s son said: “I miss my father every day. We were very close – he was my father and my best mate.”