TRIBUTES have been paid to a “caring and spontaneous” young man who died in a tragic accident.

James Mair died in the early hours on Tuesday, February 4, at the Royal Sussex County Hospital after falling from the roof of The Grand hotel in Brighton earlier that night.

Police were called to the hotel in King’s Road at 11.23pm on Monday, February 3, after reports of a man having fallen from the seventh floor roof into the hotel’s conservatory.

Paramedics were already at the scene trying to stabilise James and he was taken to hospital at approximately 11.40pm. James was put on a life support system but was confirmed to have died at 12.15am on Tuesday, February 4.

The 26-year-old, who lived in Worcester Villas, Hove, had been spending the day with his cousin Lucy Allan, 20, who had travelled down to Brighton from Scotland.

At the inquest into James’s death at Brighton Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, the court heard that on Monday, February 3, James and Lucy had been drinking since approximately midday.

After having some cocktails in the hotel bar, Lucy said they stopped drinking at about 9pm and ordered a takeaway to their first floor hotel room.

James was trying to get through to a friend on the phone and became frustrated.

Lucy said: “I got him to calm down and then at about 10.45pm he said he was going out. I thought it was strange but I just had to let him go.”

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DS Sebastian Day told the court CCTV footage from the hotel showed James had gone on to the hotel roof through the fire escape door carrying his backpack and phone and climbed up on to the wall at the building’s edge.

He said: “He climbed over on to the wall and he fell as he moved along it. I think he slipped. It’s not unreasonable to say he could have been very confused.”

The court heard James had been diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed Ritalin in November last year, which should not be mixed with alcohol.

Toxicology tests found James had “an appropriate dose” of Ritalin in his blood, but had more than 300mg of alcohol per 100ml – a level of ethanol consistent with “serious intoxication”.

James’s cousin Lucy said they had enjoyed a night out together on the Saturday and not planned to drink on the Monday. On the Saturday James had told her he could drink alcohol if he did not take his medication.

The court heard James had also requested to switch his medication to a long-lasting form which he could take once a day in the mornings, which had been working well for him.

Senior coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley concluded James’s death was an accident.

She said: “James had taken his medication on an empty stomach with a very high level of alcohol.

“He had been prescribed medication and he was very sensible about it as he realised he could benefit even more on a slow-release version.

“We know he did not take his medication when he knew he would be drinking. On the Monday the intention was to do something else but because of a combination of events, including bad weather, the decision was made after James had taken his medication to drink.”

The coroner added that access to the roof at The Grand hotel is “perfectly proper and rational” and said “there is a requirement for fire escape routes to be kept accessible”.

Ms Hamilton-Deeley recorded James’s death as alcohol-related.

She said: “It’s just so sad that he had actually come to a time where things he had battled with were starting to be worked out.

“He was just at the start of being in a much better place when this tragic accident happened.”

James, originally from Falkirk in Scotland, moved to Brighton in 2017.

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Speaking at the inquest, his friend James Freeman said James’s diagnosis of ADHD last year had “changed his life”.

He said: “James’s dad paid for him to see a private psychiatrist as he was frustrated with his undiagnosed problem.

“He had wanted to understand his behaviour for such a long time. People were surprised by how different he was after he started the medication.”

James had recently began to channel his energy into running and had completed the Three Forts Challenge half marathon and the Brighton Marathon 10k run in 2018.

Paying tribute to his friend after the inquest, Mr Freeman said: “James was a caring, fun, spontaneous guy and he had a dynamic social energy.

“Brighton quickly became his adopted home where he was immediately able to express himself with a new freedom.

“He was loved by his friends and the many people he knew.”

James had qualified as a hairdresser and previously worked at the i360. He most recently worked for Domestic & General, where his colleagues were “devastated” to hear he had died.

A funeral was held for James on February 27 in Falkirk, and his friends in Brighton organised a live video feed at Le Village bar in Kemp Town for those unable to travel to Scotland.

James’s mother Edwina Mair said more than 200 attended her son’s funeral.

She said: “We’re obviously devastated. He was my only son and he was so happy in Brighton. The main reason he went out was to dance and he loved techno music.

“He seemed to be getting on so well and we felt he had turned a really massive corner. He liked his job and everyone was so kind to him.

“He only had 26 years but he did enjoy himself.”