THE death of a 42-year-old landscape gardener who plunged from the window of his second floor flat in Bournemouth town centre was a tragic accident, a coroner has ruled.

Paul Neighbours suffered severe injuries in the fall onto busy Commercial Road on the morning of Friday June 13.

He was taken to Poole Hospital but his head injuries were so severe that doctors could not save him. His life support was switched off that evening.

His father Edwin told an inquest at Bournemouth that he and his wife gave consent for their son's organs to be used for transplant.

"Seven people have been helped with heart valves, lungs and kidneys, including two young children, one of six and one of seven," he said.

Mr Neighbours said they had not seen Paul for about four years until they were called to the hospital. He had developed mental health problems around the age of 30 and his behaviour had been disruptive when he drank and took drugs.

Last Christmas, he had sent his parents a card saying he was getting himself back together, but there was no address and they did not know where he was.

Witness Martin Brown told the inquest he was sitting outside a café in The Triangle when he noticed something falling and heard a loud thud.

He realised someone had fallen and looked up to see an open window two floors up in a building about 100 feet away.

Detective Inspector Stuart Balmer said the sash window of Mr Neighbours' flat in Commercial Road extended nearly to the floor and was almost fully open.

There was a wide windowsill outside, which was littered with cigarette ends.

The inquest was told that a service user at the Herbert Day Hospital in Westbourne, told two police community support officers that his friend had previously fallen asleep on the windowsill.

Tests showed that Mr Neighbours had not been drinking before his fall, but traces of therapeutic and recreational drugs were found in his bloodstream.

District coroner Sheriff Payne recorded a verdict of accidental death.