Freddie Pring: British rugby player died after 'accidental' balcony fall, inquest hears

A 20-year-old Brit died after accidentally falling from a hotel balcony in Magaluf, an inquest has heard.

Freddie MacVicar, who was also known as Freddie Pring, died after plunging from a second-floor balcony at a four-star beachfront hotel at the holiday resort in Majorca.

He was found on the ground and treated by the emergency services but died at the scene in the early hours of June 7.

Mr MacVicar was on an all-expenses paid three-day trip with Bristol-based Heat Recruitment as a thank you for meeting company targets.

Somerset Coroner's Court heard the group of 24 workers had arrived at the resort hours earlier and had spent the day at the pool of the hotel, the Sol Wave House.

They then went out for a meal before visiting several bars in the town.

Work colleagues said everyone was enjoying the holiday and some stayed out later than others.

"Freddie was in high spirits and clearly enjoying himself," Max Ellis said in a statement.

Senior coroner Tony Williams said Mr MacVicar was staying in a room with three colleagues who had all returned to the hotel and gone to bed before him.

Roommate Michael Taylor said he had returned to the hotel around midnight and went to bed.

"I went to sleep and later thought I heard Freddie entering the room," he said.

No one saw what happened to the recruitment consultant but a nearby supermarket worker raised the alarm at around 3am after hearing a loud noise but did not see anyone fall.

Emergency services were called but Mr MacVicar died at the scene and Spanish authorities did not treat his death as suspicious.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr MacVicar, a rugby player with Minehead Barbarians, died from a traumatic brain injury consistent with a fall.

Toxicology tests found that he had a blood-alcohol reading of 240mg per 100ml of blood, meaning he was three times the UK drink-drive limit. He had not taken any drugs.

Mr Williams said: "That's indicative of the amount of alcohol Freddie has drunk.

"I cannot be specific of how it would have affected Freddie but you would have expected it to have some effect upon his co-ordination and reaction times having consumed that amount of alcohol."

Mr Williams rejected any suggestions that Mr MacVicar may have been "balconing" - a craze where people jump from hotel balconies into swimming pools.

"I have heard nothing that Freddie was fooling around," he said.

"When he has gone out there, he has either tripped, over-balanced or stumbled and then fallen over the balcony and suffered the fatal injuries - nothing by way of a deliberate act."

Recording his conclusion, Mr Williams said: "I have heard nothing by way of evidence to record anything but an accidental death."

Speaking afterwards, Mr MacVicar's mother Heather Pring said: "It's important Freddie's death is reported as a tragic accident. There was no evidence of foul play.

"It is extremely important to us as a family, to his sisters and his girlfriend, that he is seen as a passionate and loyal, hard-working and amazing young man."

She has set up a Freddie Pring memorial fund in honour of her son.

Additional reporting by PA Media