AN engineer from the North-East with a "hopeless sense of direction" died after he took a short cut and fell on to railings, an inquest heard.

Father-of-two Keith Stevens, 27, tried to scale a fence in London's West End after losing his way on a drunken night out. He slipped and the railings pierced his chest, Westminster Coroner's Court heard.

His death sparked a murder inquiry after his body was found wedged on the railings in a standing position. But a post-mortem examination concluded Mr Stevens, a Shell marine engineer, of Fareham Grove, Boldon Colliery, near Sunderland, must have accidentally slipped as he tried to climb the 5ft fence.

Pathologist Dr Vesna Djurovic told the inquest: "His leg injuries suggest he was attempting to climb the railings and he then slipped and, in doing so, injured himself on the very sharp railing post."

Tests showed Mr Stevens was three-times the drink driving limit. He had travelled to London from Newcastle by train and was due to start a three-week secondment the next day.

He had telephoned his wife, Susanne, 30, several times during the Sunday evening, and she reported him missing next day when he failed to answer his mobile.

DS Geraldine Thornton, of Charing Cross CID, told the inquest his wife said he appeared drunk during a telephone conversation. He added: "She also said he had a hopeless sense of direction to the extent that he didn't even know his way around his home town."

Retired paramedic Alan Cooper found the body at about 6.40pm on August 8.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, deputy assistant coroner Shirley Radcliffe said: "It was a very tragic end to a man's life who had everything to live for."