Cable drags man to his death from a 30ft high Birkenhead roof

Jul 15 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Bromborough and Bebington News

A MAN died after falling 30ft off a roof while stealing copper.

Jefferson Haddock, 37, from Birkenhead, suffered multiple injuries when he fell from the top of a building in the former mobile oil distribution site in Beaufort Road, Birkenhead.

Mr Haddock, of Laird Street, had broken into the site equipped with tools and ladders on February 27, this year.

He had been removing copper cable from the roof, at a height of about 20-30ft, when the cable dropped and pulled him to his death.

At an inquest last week, Coroner’s officer Arthur Flower, said: “At around 8am workmen a t the former mobile oil distribution site in Beaufort Road, Birkenhead, discovered the deceased, whose identity at that point in time was unknown, lying on the ground unresponsive in a pool of blood.

“A bradawl, spanners and a screwdriver were found on the floor next to his body and three large wooden ladders were situated nearby.”

It was suspected that Mr Haddock, a drug user, had entered the site unlawfully in order to steal the copper cable.

He was arrested earlier this year, on January 16, for being on the same site unlawfully and in possession of copper cable.

Moments before the plunge he had been trying to strip the cables from the walls on the site and remove the plastic covering in order to access the metal wire.

Mr Haddock was about 30ft off the ground when the cable dropped and took him with it.

Merseyside Police are satisfied that there were no suspicious circumstances.

Mr Haddock, who was single and unemployed, was taken to the intensive therapy unit in Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, after being found.

He died just before 9pm the same day.

A post mortem examination revealed the cause of death to be from multiple injuries.

Wirral Coroner Christopher Johnson recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.