A man 'acquiring' lead plunged to his death through the roof of a derelict mill, an inquest heard. Christopher Paxford suffered a fractured skull after falling from the building in Bolton and died 'shortly afterwards'.
The 37-year-old was found surrounded by broken glass, face down on a concrete floor inside the mill by his friend and flatmate Daniel Barnes. It's thought he had fallen through a skylight.
The inquest at Bolton coroners court heard that Mr Paxford, an unemployed father-of-one, was known to make money by 'weighing in' scrap metal he 'obtained' from derelict buildings. He left his one-bed flat on Haydock Street in Bolton in the early hours of Saturday, April 30 this year, telling Mr Barnes he was going to 'Bank Street' to collect scrap metal.
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When Mr Paxford hadn't returned by the following evening, Mr Barnes, who said he had accompanied his friend on previous metal collecting trips to the mill, said he started to become worried. Mr Barnes and his girlfriend Kayleigh Warren said they walked to the mill, which was also described as a 'warehouse', and entered the building through a hole in the perimeter wall before climbing through a gap above a door.
In his statement to the police Mr Barnes said: ''I saw Christopher on the floor in the middle of the warehouse. I knew it was him straight away.
''I looked up and could see the skylight. My initial thought was that Christopher had fallen though the roof. I didn't touch him but I was less than one metre from him.
''I knew he was dead. I was in complete shock. I walked outside and took a while to compose myself.''
Mr Barnes then called 999 using Ms Warren's mobile phone. Emergency services attended and firefighters forced entry to the building, off Well Street.
Mr Paxford was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic at 9.57pm on Sunday, May 1. The inquest heard Mr Paxford was born in Bolton and grew up as one of six siblings in Westhoughton. He had previously worked in a call centre and in the building trade, but was unemployed at the time of his death.
The inquest heard he suffered from anxiety and depression and was known to use drugs. A toxicology report found evidence of cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines in his blood at the time of his death.
Det Sgt Dominic Beaver told the inquest there was no evidence of third party involvement or any suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Paxford's death. The detective said it was difficult to establish the height from which Mr Paxford fell, but it was at least 12ft.
Mr Beaver said lead could be seen 'dangling' from the ceiling where Mr Paxford was thought to have fallen through, while a baseball bat, cap and iPhone belonging to him were found near his body. Mr Barnes and Ms Warren had been issued with witness summons to give evidence at the inquest, but both are thought to be currently homeless and police were unable to locate them.
Mr Paxford's family expressed frustration that Mr Barnes and Ms Warren had not attended as they had concerns about apparent inconsistencies in their statements to police.
Mr Paxford's step-father Stephen Ogden said Mr Barnes had told him he had initially accompanied Mr Paxford on the visit to the mill on the night of his death, but that the pair had become separated. Concerns were also raised about a wallet and credit card belonging to Mr Paxford that couldn't be found after his death.
The inquest heard police enquired about the credit card with the Nationwide building society and were told it hadn't been used after May 1. Area coroner Alan Walsh recorded a conclusion of misadventure and gave a warning about the risks of trespassing in derelict buildings.
He said: "Christopher went onto the roof deliberately to acquire scrap metal. As a consequence he fell through the roof causing his death.
"Anybody who goes on a roof is putting themselves in grave jeopardy. Nobody should be on a the roof or inside a derelict premises."
Speaking after the inquest Mr Paxford's mum Janine Roberts said her son was 'loved and missed very much'.
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