A man plunged 16 floors to his death when he fell off a stool while fixing a washing line, an inquest heard.

Anile Singh, 47, had been drinking before falling from his flat at Theobold House, Blackman Street, Brighton.

Simon Hough, 43, his partner of 20 years, heard his cry for help and rushed to the balcony, only to see him on the tarmac below.

He told the hearing: "That day he seemed drowsyish but absolutely fine otherwise.

"I was working on my computer and he came past saying he was going to adjust the washing line to stop it sagging.

"I heard him cry for help and I asked if he was all right. When I swivelled round on the chair I saw that he was gone.

"I looked over the balcony and saw that he was on the tarmac. I called an ambulance and they told me to go down with my mobile phone and a blanket."

He added that last year Mr Singh had been depressed but had since been fine.

Witness Simon Cross was in the flat complex car park when he heard Mr Singh cry out.

He said: "I looked up and there was Anile in the air, silhouetted against the bright blue sky."

Coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley heard Mr Singh's list of medical complaints included epilepsy, diabetes, mild multiple sclerosis, heart disease for which he had had coronary heart bypass graft surgery, and nocturnal cramps.

He had also had some staples removed from his sternum the week before his death.

She also heard that, at times, he drank to excess and had been drinking on the fatal afternoon of May 25.

Coupled with his anti-epilepsy medication, which was found in his bloodstream, the combination was enough to make him clumsy and unsteady, according to pathologist Dr Andrew Rainey.

Dr Rainey said: "His heart disease could have caused him arrhythmia which can mean dizziness and collapse if standing up."

He added that the amount of alcohol in his blood - 272mg in 100ml of alcohol - was classed as high and stressed this was an important factor in Mr Singh's death.

Initially, police thought Mr Singh had jumped.

But Mrs Hamilton-Deeley said she was satisfied he had died as a result of an accident.

She said: "What Mr Singh was doing was dangerous enough on its own but on top of that he had had a large amount to drink and I am quite satisfied that that would have affected his judgement."

She added the other medical conditions could have caused him to lose his balance.