Outdoors-loving dad died after mountain fall

An outdoor-loving father died after a tragic fall from a mountain while on a festive break, an inquest has been told.

Paul Thomas Boustead, 44, had climbed Helvellyn, in the Lake District, on 29 December but failed to return home and was reported missing, an inquest heard. Mountain rescue volunteer Luke Armitage found his body about 400ft (120m) from the top of the mountain the following morning.

He had spotted Mr Boustead's dog near where his bike had been located the previous day. In a statement read out at the inquest, Mr Armitage said: "The dog helped me find him - the dog wouldn't leave his side."

At Cockermouth's Coroners' Court, coroner Robert Cohen concluded the death was accidental.

Drugs including cocaine, amphetamine and ecstasy were found in Mr Boustead's body during a post-mortem examination, but Mr Cohen said it would be "misleading" to treat his death as drug-related.

In a statement, his wife Tracy said she was not aware of her husband taking drugs and she could not explain why those substances were found in his system.

Mr Cohen said: "He fell while in the mountains and sustained injuries inconsistent with life, those circumstances are the appropriate conclusion."

The inquest heard Mr Boustead had been staying at the Swan Inn in Grasmere, where he had booked a four-night stay.

Ms Boustead had raised the alarm on 29 December when she could not make contact with her husband and a tracker on his phone showed him not having moved from a spot near the summit of Helvellyn.

Mountain rescue volunteers found a bike the same day but were forced to resume searches at first light the next morning.

A statement from Mr Armitage described there being poor visibility and strong winds when he found Mr Boustead's body in a gully above Red Tarn, having suffered "major injuries".

The inquest heard Mr Boustead was born in Blackpool and was living with his wife in the Preston area at the time of his death.

He had three sons aged between one and 19 and was said to be a family orientated man.

Mr Boustead was a self-employed HR consultant and had been working for the Open University at the time of his death, although he had previously worked for other universities and councils around the country.

Ms Boustead described him as ambitious and community minded.

She said he was sporty and loved mountain biking, cricket and running with his black Labrador, which the family had had since 2019.

She added he loved going to the Lake District to spend time outdoors.

Follow BBC Cumbria on X, external, Facebook, external, Nextdoor and Instagram, external.