A Holywell man who fell while being escorted from a town centre pub did not die as a result of the fall, it was revealed at an inquest.

A post-mortem examination of 56-year-old former labourer Paul Hughes revealed that he died of alcohol toxicity, with a fatty liver – the first signs of cirrhosis – a contributory factor.

In statements read at the hearing in County Hall, Ruthin, witnesses described how Mr Hughes, of Bryn Mawr Road, Holywell, had been drinking with friends in the beer garden at the Boars Head pub on May 29, 2021.

Door supervisor Lee Nickson asked him to leave just before 11pm when he started getting noisy.

His friends agreed to take him home but when one let go of his arm Mr Hughes fell forwards, doing nothing to save himself, and hit his head on concrete.

Mr Nickson, a trainee paramedic, administered CPR until an ambulance arrived but Mr Hughes was certified dead soon after arriving at Glan Clwyd Hospital.

He was found to have 277 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, the drink-drive limit being 80.

Recording a conclusion of an alcohol-related death, John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, said he had expected his death to be accidental, linked to the fall, but he was satisfied it was not an accident.

The inquest heard how Mr Hughes had got his life back on track and thought the world of his daughter, who lived with him.