'Loving' Flintshire man died after hitting head in Mexico hotel swimming pool inquest hears

Charlie Hopkins was described by his father as a "bubbly" man. Credit: Daily Post Wales

A young man from Flintshire, who was visiting a friend in Mexico, died when he fell into a hotel swimming pool, an inquest has heard.

Charlie Hopkins, 23, from Buckley, suffered a fractured skull but details of how he fell remain unknown after the hearing in Ruthin.

The senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, John Gittins, showed clips of CCTV footage where Charlie was seen walking through the hotel’s reception area at about 1am on 9 April 2021.

There was no-one else about and soon after a camera captured the water in the pool being disturbed. Another guest at the hotel discovered his body on the bottom of the pool around five hours later.

Charlie, of Spon Green, Buckley, was a former pupil of Argoed and Mold Alun High Schools and studied history at University College, London, but did not complete the course.

In a statement read at the inquest, his father Mark said he was “bubbly” and “the life and soul of every room he was in”.

He was a keen musician and strong campaigner for LGBT rights.

Charlie checked into the two-storey Hotel Turquoise Petit in Tulum, Mexico on 8 April 2021, having gone there at the invitation of his friend Alex. He is said to have video-called his parents almost every day while he was there.

“We became concerned when we didn’t hear from him for 24 hours,” said his father.

On 9 April his family received the devastating news that he had been found dead.

“He was a lively, loving, trusting young man,” said Mr Hopkins. “He saw only the good in everyone."

A post-mortem examination was carried out in Mexico and after his body had been repatriated, Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers confirmed the cause of death as “a blunt force head injury and drowning, consistent with a fall from height.”

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, the coroner said Charlie had probably hit his head somehow while entering the pool, adding: “There is absolutely no reason to give consideration to it being a deliberate act.”