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A latter-day Romeo fell to his death after trying to climb into his girlfriend's window after a night out.Will Styles, 23, from Plymouth, climbed 15ft (4.5m) onto the ledge, opened the window, but then slipped on the sill and fell in November last year.
The "daredevil" sports instructor had forgotten his key and did not want to disturb his girlfriend who had already gone to bed.
A verdict of accidental death was recorded at the inquest in Plymouth.
The inquest was told Mr Styles was a natural adventurer and water sports instructor who had worked all over the world.
On the night he died, there was a heavy rainstorm as he tried to return to the flat he shared with his girlfriend, 20-year-old Jessie Wallace, and friend Nick Maxted.
They had all been out together to a pub quiz and a bar but Miss Wallace had gone home first and Mr Maxted stayed out, leaving Mr Styles without a key to the flat.
Miss Wallace told the inquest they had one gin and tonic at a pub and shared a bottle of wine at another before she went home to bed.
"He wasn't drunk, he was quite in control of himself," she said.
She was woken by a neighbour who told her someone was in the courtyard and when she looked down she saw Mr Styles.
'Confident and fearless'
"The sash window had been pulled open and I could see handprints on the window and a footmark on the sill that looked as if it had slipped off," she said.
"He didn't have his keys and his phone had run out of battery so I think he tried to climb through the window because he didn't want to disturb me in bed."
Mr Styles' mother Linda described her son as a "daredevil" who was confident and fearless in any activity.
"He loved life and made the most of it. He packed more into a few years than most do in a lifetime," she said in a statement.
A post mortem examination revealed Mr Styles died from severe head injuries.
He had a blood alcohol level of 16 milligrams - about twice the drink-drive limit - but Mr Maxted said he had shown no signs of being affected by drink when he went home.
Coroner Mr Ian Arrow told Miss Wallace: "It appears he slipped on the window sill and fell into the basement area.
"I am sure it must have been an awful shock to you."This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.