THE exact details surrounding the death of a renowned French translator off the coast of Pembrokeshire remain a mystery, a coroner has concluded.

At an inquest in Milford Haven on Thursday (August 31), coroner Mark Layton said 70-year-old Bernard Hoepffner drowned after what may well have been “an unfortunate accident”.

On May 6, two walkers spotted a man in difficulty in the water near Whitesands beach.

He appeared to be clinging to rocks around 30ft down the cliff side.

Above him, on a ledge, a sheepskin coat was being held in place with a stone.

The walkers attempted to reach the man, shouting out to him and getting a response, but failed to get close enough.

Two minutes later, he had disappeared.

A full-scale sea and air search was launched, and pictures of the jacket were shared by police, along with CCTV footage of Mr Hoepffner inside a shop in St Davids.

On May 24, Dyfed-Powys Police heard from Mr Hoepffner’s family, who successfully identified photographs found inside his jacket.

Two weeks later, on June 9, North Wales Police were told a body had been found at Tywyn beach in south Gwynedd.

Dental records confirmed the body was that of Mr Hoepffner.

A post mortem examination showed that he died of drowning.

Mr Layton said it was reasonable to assume the Frenchman died on May 6, despite his body not being recovered for several weeks.

Recording an open conclusion, he said the circumstances of how Mr Hoepffner had ended up in the water would remain unclear.

“It may have been deliberate, or an unfortunate accident,” he said.

Described as being ‘full of life’, and a ‘generally healthy person’, Mr Hoepffner had no known mental health issues.

In the weeks before his death, he had contacted friends and colleagues, and made plans for the future.

Friends and family believe Mr Hoepffner – who lived in St Davids for 18 months in the 1970s - may have been in the area visiting old haunts.