A Swansea man was found dead at the bottom of the stairs at his home by his mother after she went to check on him when he didn't answer the phone. Mark Davies, 51, had spent the evening prior to his death in a local pub with his brother and is understood to have fallen down the stairs after he returned to his home address.
With no witnesses to the incident, South Wales Police and HM Coroner have been unable to ascertain the full circumstances of what happened to Mr Davies, although they have ruled out any third party involvement or assault. At an inquest into Mr Davies' death, held at Swansea Coroners' Court on June 1, 2023, the court heard Mr Davies had been diagnosed with various medical issues and was also battling alcoholism prior to his death.
The court heard that local man Mr Davies was one of three siblings and had a close relationship with his family, especially with his mother and twin brother, Neil. You can get the biggest Swansea news stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
Read more: Man found beneath van in garage after partner phoned to raise concerns about his mental state
He'd been fairly healthy as a child, apart from a spell of measles and a slight heart murmur, but was diagnosed with some severe medical issues in his 40s. He had always loved learning, the court heard, and after attending primary school and secondary school in Swansea, he completed his A-Levels at Gorseinon College before studying computer science at Cardiff University.
After graduating, Mr Davies worked for some time as a customer service assistant but then decided to change career. After taking up work as a care assistant, Mr Davies enrolled into university again and soon completed a degree in nursing. After graduating with his second degree, Mr Davies began working as a nurse in the cardiac ward at Morriston Hospital. It was around this time, in the mid-1990s, that Mr Davies met his partner, Keith Ridler, now deceased.
The couple had a happy relationship but Mr Ridler unfortunately faced several serious medical issues which took their toll on both he and Mr Davies. Mr Davies was so concerned about his partner that, in 2012, he began drinking in his spare time after work, as he "struggled to manage his partner's health".
Mr Davies soon sought help from his GP and was signed off work for quite some time, but later found it difficult to return to work after having taken time off. In 2019, Mr Ridler passed away and Mr Davies was "distraught," the court heard. In 2022, Mr Davies was diagnosed with alcohol hepatitis and lymphedema. He was given a life expectancy of just one to three years, with just a 15% chance of surviving more than one year if he didn't cut his alcohol consumption down.
On November 23, 2022, Mr Davies had a medical appointment at the hospital. His mother gave him a call in the morning to remind him of the appointment and became concerned when he didn't answer the phone. She went to check on him at home and opened the door using the spare key, the court heard. Sadly, she found him laying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. She called 999 and paramedics were called to the scene. Sadly, they confirmed Mr Davies was dead.
The court heard the last time Mr Davies was seen before his death was the night prior to his passing. He had gone to meet his twin brother Neil Davies and Neil's friends in the Red Lion pub in Morriston but had seemed "distanced" and "preoccupied" while there. Whilst the brothers had a "very close relationship," Mr Davies did not appear to be acting like his usual self, a statement from Neil Davies explained.
The court heard that Mr Davies asked his brother to escort him home, but Neil Davies called for a taxi for Mr Davies instead. It's understood the taxi took Mr Davies straight home.
The inquest heard that in addition to paramedics, crime scene investigators attended Mr Davies's property following his death. It was said that they found him stretched at the foot of the stairs at his home and it was noted that he was "fully clothed". An officer involved in the case, PC Rees, told the inquest that she and colleagues had found blood-stained tissues and a blood-stained t-shirt in the property, and also noticed blood on Mr Davies's hands and jeans, and on the skirting board and carpet near where he was found lying on the floor.
"There were no signs of obvious disturbance," PC Rees added. She also confirmed to the coroner that South Wales Police had no reason to believe there had been any third party involvement, suspicious circumstances or assault involved in Mr Davies's death.
A post-mortem examination and toxicology report found that Mr Davies had cardiomyopathy and liver cirrhosis prior to his death. Home Office pathologist Dr John Williams also stated that Mr Davies had a "large laceration" on the right side of his face and said this was consistent with an injury from blunt force trauma and would have caused "significant bleeding". Dr Williams also said Mr Davies had "multiple fresh fractures" to both sides of his chest, which also appeared to be the result of blunt force trauma. The court heard Mr Davies had no defensive injuries.
The court also heard Mr Davies had a blood-alcohol level three times above the drink-drive limit at the time of his death, though it was noted blood-alcohol levels could affect people differently, depending on their individual tolerance.
Acting senior coroner, Colin Phillips, said Mr Davies's alcoholism had worsened after the death of his partner and in the pandemic, but acknowledged that on November 16, 2022, Mr Davies had had an appointment at his home and was in the process of arranging to go on a detox programme for his alcohol misuse.
"I don't think we're ever going to find out exactly what happened, it was unwitnessed," Mr Phillips said. "[But what we do know is that] the deceased had returned home intoxicated and at some point has fallen and landed at the bottom of the stairs. None of those injuries were immediately fatal - but it's possible the head injuries did lead to the loss of consciousness. Mr Davies's liver was cirrhotic, his pancreas was entropic and he had cardiomyopathy and was due for further screenings [for this condition]."
"This [Mr Davies' medical conditions] made him more susceptible to the effects of blood loss. He had a lot going on medically," Mr Phillips added.
Summarising the inquest, Mr Phillips accepted Dr Williams's medical cause of death of "haemorrhage from head injuries and chest injuries" and noted Mr Davies's alcohol issues and cardiomyopathy.
"Mr Davies had become increasingly isolated since he lost his partner three years ago and in the pandemic. He had been turning to alcohol as a way of self-medicating and he had a number of health conditions in the background," Mr Phillips said. "He died as a consequence of an unwitnessed fall or collapse at home."
After sharing his summary, Mr Phillips concluded an accidental death and formally closed the inquest.
READ MORE:
- Man arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and assault after alleged stabbing and incident on Swansea roof
- Pupil airlifted from Olchfa school in Swansea following medical emergency
- Family of missing 87-year-old 'increasingly worried' about him
- Causes of death revealed for teens killed in Ely bike crash
- Woman found dead in river named as murder investigation continues
