A British man was found dead on a luggage trolley at an all-inclusive hotel in Mexico after a food fight in the hotel lobby, an inquest heard.
Dean Wright, a 33-year-old wind farm inspector from Newcastle, collapsed in the restroom of a five-star Riu hotel in Cancun, where he had been staying with his then girlfriend in December 2019.
Almost five years later, an inquest into his death at Newcastle Coroner’s Court, found he collapsed in the bathroom of the hotel lobby between 5 and 7am.
His devastated family pushed for answers about what happened on the morning Dean died after police investigations both abroad and in the UK were dropped.
But medical examinations in England found Dean had not suffered a serious blow to the head, as was first feared, and no evidence of third-party involvement was found.
Detective Sergeant Neill Jobling of Northumbria Police told that Dean and Rebecca Platts, his partner, had bought cocaine which they consumed with an American male in the early hours of December 14.
Rebecca, though, went to bed before Dean’s eventual collapse.
Mr Jobling said: ‘In summary he (the guest) witnessed an altercation within the bar with Dean and others.
‘There was suggestion there was a food fight or some sort of altercation.
‘He said Dean then goes into the restroom to effectively clean himself up from the food that was thrown. He then stated that there was some further altercation inside those toilets but couldn’t provide any further detail that would help today.’
Home Office pathologist Dr Louise Mulcahy examined Dean’s body and said that experts found his heart to be enlarged.
She commented: ‘At approximately 5am on December 14, 2019, there was an altercation in the communal area of the hotel.
‘Dean was then said to attend the public bathroom to clean up at approximately 7am that morning. It was reported by an American they heard screaming and shouting.
‘There were six security guards said to be assisting Dean however there was also known to be some confusion about what had been said or heard as the American kept changing their story.
‘Dean was placed on a luggage trolley and removed from the communal bathroom before resuscitation attempts were commenced but Dean’s death was confirmed.’
An initial post-mortem exam carried out in Mexico found Dean had suffered a heart attack, but this was later dismissed.
Dr Mulcahy also dismissed that bruises found on Dean’s head, torso and limbs were caused by a third party.
She said: ‘The only injury that would potentially raise concern was the black eye and split above the eye however that could have occurred from a simple fall or a collapse.’
The hearing was told that that alcohol and cocaine were found in Dean’s system and that the bruising may have been caused by a fall.
Dean’s mum, Maria Wray, paid tribute to her son: ‘Dean has always been very hard working. Dean had played rugby from an early age and was quickly chosen to play for the county and was elected for trials for England. Dean always loved football and was a season ticket holder for Newcastle.
‘The loss of Dean has huge impact on my family. The family are devastated and completely broken. Dean was the oldest grandchild and the oldest nephew. Dean was a very generous person and he would give you his last penny.’
Coroner Karen Dilks ultimately ruled that the 33-year-old’s death was accidental.
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