A young man died after a fall from a building in York.
Joel Addyman, 20, fell from the roof of the building, despite the attempts of police and other emergency services to bring him to safety, an inquest heard.
He died in York Hospital later the same day, 23 November last year.
Mr Addyman, 20, was the youngest of three children from a loving York home.
“He told us he knew he was loved, which he said on a number of occasions throughout the evening on the 22nd into the 23rd of November,” his mother Berni Addyman said in a statement which was read out at the inquest at Northallerton Coroners Court.
Joel was a popular member of staff at the Fox and Roman pub on Tadcaster Road, near his home in Dringhouses. On the pub’s Facebook page after his death, many friends paid tribute to a ‘lovely’ and ‘kind-hearted’ young man.
He was a keen computer gamer, liked to listen to music and was a “great social character”.
Where to get help
He had suffered mental health problems and was prescribed anti-depressants by his GP.
Following visits to York Hospital A&E after taking prescription drugs and alcohol, Joel had been given treatment by the community mental health team, alongside advice about his level of alcohol consumption..
On Tuesday, 22 November 2023, Joel returned home after work at about 11.30pm and went upstairs.
He had taken some beers with him and was also thought to have been drinking spirits.
In the early hours of the next morning, he went into York city centre, despite his parents trying to persuade him not to leave the house, paying off two taxis he had ordered.
Because she was so worried about his mood, Mrs Addyman followed him into town.
He climbed onto the roof of a building on High Ousegate. His mother called police who were on the scene minutes later at around 4am, followed by the fire service and ambulance crews.
Police entered into a dialogue with Joel in the hope of bringing him to safety. PC Ashley Hardwick spoke to him, and at one point climbed up himself to return his phone.
The officer said Joel seemed intoxicated, and was slurring his words.
Despite the police’s best efforts, Joel fell from the roof. PC Hardwick described the fall as “deliberate”.
Joel was taken to hospital where he died later the same day. The medical cause of death was traumatic brain injury.
North Yorkshire coroner Jon Leach gave a conclusion of death by suicide and offered his condolences to the family.
At the end of the hearing, Joel’s family praised the emergency services for their efforts to save his life. They singled out PC Hardwick for putting himself “in harm’s way” to help him.
[tptn_list limit=3 daily=1 hour_range=1]