Caerphilly man Ben Crook accidentally fell to his death

BBC News

10-06-2025

A man fell to his death hours after being escorted off a plane in Turkey after getting into a row with flight staff over wanting more alcohol, an inquest has heard.Ben Crook, 32, arrived in Antalya, Turkey, on 24 September to celebrate his birthday but got separated from his partner and her children after the argument.Newport Coroner's Court heard he smashed his and his partner's phones during the confrontation, so could not reach her to find out where they were staying for their holiday.He died a few hours later after a fall "from a height" and coroner Caroline Saunders concluded there was "no evidence of third party involvement or that he jumped" and that his death was an accident.
A post-mortem examination carried out in Newport concluded Mr Cook's cause of death was a fractured skull and pelvis caused by blunt trauma, that was a fall.The court heard that window fitter Mr Crook was a nervous flyer and started drinking before he left his house in Abertridwr, Caerphilly county on 23 September 2024. He was also buying alcohol in the duty free area of the airport.
Evidence from Mr Crook's partner Jess Jenkins said he "became a little difficult" as the flight went on and started "shouting at a male steward demanding he obtain more alcohol".He ended up breaking both their phones and was escorted off the plane when they landed.The court heard he tried to contact Ms Jenkins and his father while in Turkey after borrowing a phone from a couple he met, but those messages were not seen until after his death.The couple were later tracked down by Mr Crook's family who said he was "pretty shaky and possibly hungover" and they last saw him walking off across the harbour.Ms Saunders said it was then "unclear where Ben went or why" but at about 18:30, he suffered a fall on Cumhuriyet Street in Antalya and was seen by "unidentified witness who said this was an accident". The court heard the witnesses had said people thought it was a "freak accident" as he was smoking and he fell and there was some question about him being drunk or dizzy. Mr Crook died in the early hours of 25 September after being taken to a hospital in AntalyaEvidence from Mr Crook's sister, Amy Crook, said her brother's drug and alcohol consumption had increased in the last six months of his life and he had suffered with mental health problems since he was a teenager.But she said the family did not believe he would have taken his own life, "leaving behind his two children who he adored". Toxicology tests found alcohol, cocaine, cocaethylene and ketamine in Mr Crook's blood but the coroner concluded the ketamine was likely administered by paramedics as they tried to resuscitate him.