A North Yorkshire student plunged to his death from the eighteenth floor of a Mexican hotel.

An inquest heard how Alan Pearson, 22 and of Whitby Road, Pickering, was holidaying with girlfriend Bethan Corrigan when the tragedy unfolded last September.

A statement from holidaymaker Louis Freer claimed Mr Pearson had assaulted his girlfriend several times and had threatened him on the night he died.

He claimed he and Ms Corrigan at one point had to prevent Mr Pearson from leaping to his death - but Ms Corrigan denied this and insisted he never attacked her.

"I saw he had climbed to the railings - we were on the 18th floor - and he jumped," wrote Mr Freer.

"His girlfriend grabbed his legs and I held them both," the statement said.

Mr Freer said he was threatened again by Mr Pearson, before he went to get security.

The next thing he knew, Mr Pearson was "lying on the ground a few floors below."

But Ms Corrigan told the Scarborough inquest: "We were having a drink with the gentleman (Mr Freer) and did have an argument about whether to stay or not.

"We went into the corridor. The gentleman came out, and the two had a bit of a scuffle. Alan was saying 'do you want me to jump?'

"I told him not to be so stupid."

Ms Corrigan described how her boyfriend was sitting on the side of a balcony, before "he just went over."

She added: "I told him to get down or he would fall, but he was just sitting there. The next minute he was gone."

Ms Corrigan then described how the hotel had a steep bank at one side - with a deep gully in between - that made it look as though the drop was not too high.

Howard Pearson, Alan's father, said in a statement that until "two or three years ago" his son used to escape arguments by climbing out of a window at the family bungalow, and wondered if that may have been a factor.

His son had also had counselling at the start of university life, but had never been diagnosed with psychiatric problems, the statement said.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, North Yorkshire Coroner Michael Oakley said: "This was clearly not a deliberate act, rather a tragic accident. Perhaps brought about by high spirits and drink, perhaps also Alan was under the impression the drop was not as far down as it turned out to be."

Both Howard Pearson and Ms Corrigan said they were satisfied with the verdict.

And Ms Corrigan said: "Alan was never violent. Not once. I just wouldn't have stood for that."

Updated: 09:02 Wednesday, April 04, 2001