A KILGETTY area man, who had suffered from a long-term illness, died after falling from a bridge on the Kilgetty bypass, Pembrokeshire Coroner’s Court heard last Thursday.

The body of coded welder Matthew Paul Thomas, 30, of Council Flats, Broadmoor was discovered in the early hours of July 4 below the Sardis road bridge over the Kilgetty bypass.

Coroner’s Officer for Dyfed Powys Police Jeremy Davies said Mr Thomas, a single man who lived at his family home, had suffered a mystery illness during his life, and was regularly struck down with bouts of vomiting.

The court heard that Mr Thomas’s mother, Gwenda, had last seen her son in the family home at midnight.

She then heard the door close, believing her son had just gone to his car.

The court heard a man believed to be Mr Thomas was later seen carrying a bag and staggering up the A477 road at 4.20am by lorry driver Justin Reynolds.

Mr Thomas’s body was discovered nearly an hour later, after he had fallen from the bypass bridge.

“At 5.15am, a post van driver saw Mr Thomas on the road; he contacted the police and the officers attended beneath the bridge,” said Mr Davies.

Mr Thomas had suffered severe injuries to his head.

A letter stating he was intending to take his life was later found at the family home.

A post-mortem examination, read by HM Coroner Mark Layton stated Mr Thomas had consumed the alcohol equivalent of slightly more than five times the legal drink drive limit.

“An extremely high concentration of alcohol; the level itself could have caused death,” stated the report, adding Mr Thomas had suffered multiple injuries to his head, chest and abdomen.

Mr Layton recorded a narrative conclusion rather than suicide.

Mr Layton said: “With the high level of alcohol consumed by Mr Thomas I cannot be certain to the required standard of Mr Thomas’s intentions; I therefore propose a narrative conclusion.

“Matthew Paul Thomas has fallen from a bridge on the A477 suffering injury causing his death.

“I’m not satisfied this is a suicide.”