Ex-Oxford University student fell to death from London flat

Christopher Coe, was seen falling around 25 feet from the roof of his luxury flat in the Redcliffe Square area of Chelsea, west London, last summer.

The 40-year-old, who attended the University of Oxford and Sydney Grammar School (SGS) in his native Australia, had struggled with addictions to both alcohol and cocaine that were “prevalent” in the finance industry, the hearing was told.

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Westminster Coroner's Court heard yesterday that Mr Coe, who had recently become a father with his wife and owned his own private equity company DCE Partners, had struggled with addiction since attending the University of Oxford where he received an MBA from the Saïd Business School.

Psychiatrist Dr Philip Hopley said in a statement that Mr Coe had told him his problems with cocaine began when he worked in investment banking in his 20s – an industry in which the drug was “prevalent”.

“Mr Coe was struggling with alcohol and cocaine misuse and dependence,” the statement, read by coroner Jean Harkin said.

An inquest into Christopher Coe's took place on Wednesday (Image: NQ)“He said his business partner and his wife had had enough. He and his wife Lisa had a healthy, six-month-old son. Problems with alcohol had become problematic whilst at university.

“He said [whilst] investment banking in his 20s that cocaine was prevalent. His father worked in finance and was successful up until the financial crisis.”

Dr Hopley explained that Mr Coe had been in and out of rehab facilities, including The Priory in the UK and another in Byron Bay, Australia, and also had a gambling problem which, at its worst, saw him lose up to £40,000 a day.

A toxicology report confirmed large amounts of both cocaine and alcohol in his body at the time of his death. Figures recorded he had more than double the amount of cocaine in his blood considered to be “recreational”.

The inquest heard an emergency call was made after a passer-by saw him fall from the roof of his flat in Redcliffe Square, before hearing a “thud”.

He sustained fatal injuries to his head and neck after falling from a height of around eight metres, and his wrists were both also found to have been broken, suggesting he attempted to break his fall.

Paramedics arrived within minutes but were unable to resuscitate him.

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Met Police detective sergeant Martin Bolt, who investigated Mr Coe's death, told the inquest: “It was a fall from a height of about seven or eight metres. Someone called an ambulance after hearing a thud.

“The way he has fallen was captured on someone’s Ring doorbell. There are no suspicious circumstances.”

Mrs Harkin – recording a conclusion of "misadventure" – said there was no evidence that Mr Coe had intended to take his own life.