A popular musician was electrocuted and killed when a prank on a railway line ended in tragedy, an inquest heard.

Fun-loving Julian Brooker, known as Joolz, was joking with a group of friends on the line near his home in Shaftesbury Place, Brighton, in the early hours of October 24 last year.

The group were playing a game, inspired by the character Gollum from Lord of the Rings, in which they crept around on all fours.

The inquest heard how Mr Brooker, 23, crawled down to the railway line from London Road station and touched the tracks, pretending to be electrocuted.

He was knocked unconscious and slumped down onto the line after accidentally touching the live rail.

Friend Natasha Tamasova had been with Mr Brooker that night and told the inquest he had been drinking cider and whisky and taking hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms.

Gemma Costin said the group had not seen signs warning of the live rail, adding: "I think because it was the middle of the night Joolz assumed the live rail would not be on."

She choked back tears as she recalled the moment Mr Brooker touched the live rail.

Miss Costin and another friend, Peter Bennett, tried to pull Mr Brooker off the live rail but were themselves electrocuted and thrown clear.

Pathologist Nigel Kirkham said an autopsy revealed small amounts of alcohol in Mr Brooker's system but it was an unreliable reading because his body had caught fire and been badly burnt.

Sergeant Jack Ioannou, from the British Transport Police, said: "It was a measure of the group's close friendship that the group tried to rescue Joolz.

"They were a very, very close knit group of friends.

"I would assess that he was electrocuted and lost consciousness immediately."

Mr Brooker's parents David and Vivienne and brother Jono paid tribute to the young man they idolised and spoke of their loss after coroner Victoria Hamilton-Deeley recorded a verdict of accidental death.

David, a company director, said: "Joolz was a big bundle of fun, an extremely supportive and loving son, highly intelligent, intuitive, understanding and inquisitive."

Jono, 20, added: "He was my role model and inspiration."

Vivienne, a medical secretary, said: "Life has been unimaginably awful since we lost him.

"People say they know what we are going through but unless it has happened to you, you do not.

"It is absolutely the worst thing you can possibly imagine happening."

Mr Brooker was a sales rep at Inkfish call centre but his real love was music.

He was lead guitarist and singer with the band Aped Bi Sapien, which had recently completed a national tour and had finished work on tracks for their first album.

The band, which was signed to the Undergroove label and played regular gigs at Brighton's Free Butt pub and Concorde 2, were also planning another tour. The threepiece outfit, including Dom Hedges, 20, and Dan Wilkinson, 22, had recently received a review in the music magazine Rock Sound which tipped them as "something to be big in 2004".

Mr Brooker, who had attained nine GCSEs, four A' levels and a photography qualification, was a former pupil at Newick Primary School, Oathall Community College at Lindfield and Haywards Heath Sixth Form College.

It was while at school he began his musical career and began learning cello and guitar. He had travelled in Africa, the USA and Europe.

Coroner Victoria Hamilton-Deeley said: "I find myself very moved by this inquest and the close friendship and love that exists between all involved.

"The time he died must have been one of the very happiest times of his life and that should be some small help to those grieving."