Mother pays tribute to 'kind and caring' son, 22, who died after falling from flat window in Northamptonshire village

A 'kind and caring' 22-year-old man died after falling from his flat window in a Northamptonshire village high street, an inquest in Northampton heard on Wednesday (April 21).

Joshua Cooper, 22, fell from his second-floor flat window, in High Street, Weedon, on April 24, 2020, sometime around 9.35pm. He died the following morning in Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry.

The inquest heard how Mr Cooper was celebrating with his girlfriend after the couple were making positive plans to buy a home together.

The couple, who had been with each other less than a year, went down to the River Nene at around 3pm where they drank, paddled and later met up with friends.

On their return home, at around 5.30pm, the pair bought more alcohol to continue the party into the evening back at their flat. His girlfriend told the inquest that Mr Cooper was 'fine at this point'.

The inquest heard that Mr Cooper had also taken drugs during the evening. As the night progressed, his girlfriend said, Mr Cooper's behaviour changed.

"His behaviour changed. He seemed quite disorientated and started becoming argumentative. I tried to get him to go to bed but he was just not listening," she told the inquest.

His girlfriend had left the flat to call her mother and when she returned she found Mr Cooper laying in the road.

She said: "I was on the phone to my mum when I saw him on the floor. I was nudging Josh saying 'come on, Josh, wake up' but he would not move. I said to the neighbour 'I can't wake him up'.

"It all happened so quickly. From seeing him on the floor to the ambulance arriving. I remember holding his face and asking him to wake up. I didn't know what to do. I kept saying 'you have to wake up, you can't leave me here like this'."

She told the inquest: "In my heart I believe he woke up and I was not there and he was just trying to find me.

"I still love Josh to this day. It's completely broken me."

Mr Cooper's mother paid tribute to her son in a statement read out at the inquest.

She said: "He was kind, caring and loved family, especially his siblings and grand father. [He had a] lovely smile and would do anything for anyone."

Assistant coroner Hassan Shah said: "My view is we don't know why he went to the window. His mind was disturbed, disorientated...possibly trying to get to his girlfriend and in the confusion of that moment he fell from the window."

Mr Shah recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

The coroner explained the definition of misadventure is when someone 'deliberately undertakes a task which then goes wrong'.