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Death plunge burglar was high on drugs

10/ 7/2008

A BURGLAR was ‘high’ on drugs when he plunged 60ft to his death from a third-floor flat.

Terry Sandiford was acting like a ‘madman’ when he was confronted by the owner of a flat in Corkland Road, Chorlton, an inquest heard.

The flat’s owner, self-employed tree surgeon Patrick Walsh, spent hours in custody after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting Sandiford. Mr Walsh was eventually released without charge.

Coroner Nigel Meadows read out Mr Walsh’s statement at the inquest and afterwards said it was clear he had acted in an ‘appropriate’ manner.

In the statement, father-of-two Mr Walsh described how he came face to face with Sandiford, 43, in his living room at 6am.

He said: "He began to walk towards me and was raving and ranting like a demented person. I was afraid of being assaulted.

"This man then started moving around the room and I struggled to understand what he was saying. His speech and behaviour gave me the impression he was a junkie or mad."

Mr Walsh said at the time he was naked and left the room to put on some shorts and then heard the intruder screaming for help.

"I saw him crouched on the parapet outside the window and he was shouting ‘help me’, ‘need to get out’," the statement said.

Afterwards he phoned the police and on going outside found Sandiford lying on the ground. He sustained massive head injuries and died three days later.

The coroner said there was no evidence of a fight between the men and the police were satisfied with Mr Walsh’s explanation.

Two chainsaws and a generator belonging to him were found in a wheelie bin outside his flat.

The court heard that Sandiford had several convictions for dishonesty and supplying drugs, and at the time he was on bail for charges of going equipped to steal and possessing drugs.

Mr Meadows said Sandiford had been ‘significantly’ under the influence of amphetamine and while trying to escape from the flat had fallen to his death.

He said: "It would be wrong for anyone to say that Terry got his just desserts - his life had been significantly affected by drugs over the years.

"It illustrates the way drugs blight people’s lives."

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.