A WOMAN has paid tribute to her brother who died after falling from scaffolding at the end of a night out.

Artist Michael Creighton-Balfour, 22, had walked home and realised he did not have his keys.

He climbed scaffolding four-storeys high in an attempt to enter his flat in Powis Road, Brighton, in the early hours, but he tragically slipped.

He died the next day from a traumatic brain injury, an inquest heard.

Speaking outside Brighton and Hove coroner's court sister Faith Creighton-Balfour said: "He was the most passionate and creative out of all of us.

"It's just a tremendous shock to us because he is the light of our lives, and now we will have to go on without him - it will be so hard."

She added: "Michael was the baby of the family and everything revolved around him but in the best way because we adored and loved him.

"He was wild at heart and that added to the love because he was a real one off."

His other sister, Rosie, said she takes strength from the ancient Chinese saying "the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long".

The inquest heard Michael, who was one of four children, had been enjoying a night of drinking with friends at the Marlborough Pub on the evening of Friday, January 27.

On his way home he told a friend he had accidentally brought the keys of a client's house out with him instead of his own.

After walking to Powis Road at around 4am, Michael climbed on a fence to jump on to scaffolding outside his flat to get on the roof and into his room.

Giving evidence, his friend Tom Moulton said the artist often climbed things on nights out and used scaffolding in his job to paint.

But on this occasion Michael, who was wearing a pair of worn Dr Martens boots, described as slippery by his family, fell.

Neighbours reported being waken up by a loud thud on January 28, but thought nothing more of it.

Michael was found by passer-by Gareth Hyde 30 minutes later, lying in the road unconscious and breathing heavily.

He was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital where doctors worked to treat his brain injury and fractures to his ribs, spine and pelvis.

The decision was later taken by doctors on January 29 to turn off Michael's ventilator, he died surrounded by his family at 5.14pm.

Consultant pathologist Dr David Wright said on the balance of probabilities Michael died from a traumatic brain injury after falling from scaffolding and the presence of alcohol was a contributory factor - 209 milligrams of alcohol was found in his blood.

Coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley recorded his death as accidental.

She said: "On the balance of probabilities Michael fell from scaffolding, but if not the case, he still fell from a substantial height.

"From everything I've heard he was intending to get into his room.

"I think shoes were relevant, and the presence of alcohol. I can't rule out it made him slightly less careful and can't rule out that there was frost on the scaffolding his boots slipped on.

"In any event it is clear it is an accident and that is the conclusion I will record.

"I hope you can take comfort he had a good evening and he certainly would have had no idea of all the suffering you had when you were at the hospital."

His family said they wanted to thank Mr Hyde for comforting Michael until an ambulance arrived.

Faith said: "All the time up until now we have been wondering in our heads what happened, so it's such a comfort to know that Gareth found him and put his coat over him.

"We are just so thankful to know that."