The deaths of a Harry Potter star's brother and his friend, who were electrocuted after climbing on top of a freight train, could have been avoided if a gap in a fence had been fixed, a coroner has found.
Ben Haddon-Cave, 27, and Paddy Bolster, 26, were found a mile apart on the overground line between Stratford and Hackney Wick in the early hours of March 21.
The 'extremely drunk' friends died when they hit overhead wires carrying 25,000 volts of electricity after climbing on top of a train.
Mr Haddon-Cave, whose sister Jessie Cave plays Lavendar Brown in the Harry Potter films, and student Mr Bolster were able to access the railway after entering a gap in the perimeter fence onto a 'well worn path'.
Coroner Mary Hassell found that the last time the broken fence was checked was on 27 October 2016. In the intervening two and half years reasonable endeavours had not been been made to inspect (and repair) the fence, Hassell said in a report released on Tuesday.
She warned of a 'national system failure of fencing inspection' and hinted that the two deaths could have been prevented.
"Paddy and Ben were adults who had responsibility for their actions, but the fence gap was accessible to children and appeared to be worn," ruled Hassell.
"I heard no evidence that the two had planned to go up onto trackside. A determined effort can be difficult to thwart, but an impulsive action (with judgement and motor skills impaired through alcohol) might well be avoided if the route to danger is not so very easily taken.”
She called for action to be taken to prevent future deaths and gave 56 days to respond.
Mr Bolster's mother Tara said at inquest in August: "What tortures me every day is playing over and over in my head different scenarios of what might have happened that night, and wondering if anything could have been done to save Patrick."
Network Rail has said it takes such incidents 'extremely seriously' and is 'carefully considering' the advised recommendations, in a statement given to the London Evening Standard.
