A man died after plunging on to rocks at a notorious “tombstoning” spot while five times the drink-drive limit, an inquest heard.
Vincent Wagstaff asked his cousin to film his attempted leap on a phone so he could show his son and have him upload the clip to YouTube. But the lab technician, 39, suffered multiple injuries after misjudging the 10-metre jump and ending up on the rocks rather than in the water off Plymouth Hoe in Devon.
Senior coroner Ian Arrow recorded a conclusion of accidental death with alcohol as a contributory factor. He said: “I am satisfied that at the time he was significantly intoxicated. I am satisfied, sadly, he misjudged the jump. He simply stepped off; it was a serious miscalculation.”
The coroner said he hoped the publicity surrounding his death, which happened in October, would act as a warning to others that alcohol and jumping off high places did not mix. He said some people would have been killed by drinking such a large amount of alcohol.
Wagstaff’s cousin Karl Burns recorded the tragedy on a phone. He said: “Vincent said he wanted a dip in the sea. He really wanted to do the high jump. I knew exactly what he meant. We had watched young people jump from this spot before. I told him no but he told me to shut up saying he knew what he was doing.
“He started to take off his clothes. I said: ‘Don’t be stupid.’ Vincent and I used to say we needed a scare a day. He asked me to record the jump so his son could upload it on to YouTube. It was a 10-metre drop. He went to leap off but he had a right-knee injury and it was not a leap, he just stepped off.”
The 12-second clip was shown at the inquest and Wagstaff could be heard saying: “oh no” as he fell.
After the hearing in Plymouth, Wagstaff’s former partner Nikki Rickard said: “Vince was a loving and caring family man. He was hardworking and adored his children. He leaves behind three devastated children ... We are left with a huge gap in our lives that can never be filled. He will always be loved and missed.”
