A 24-year-old man who fell to his death while on holiday in Ibiza could have tripped before falling over the railings of a hotel balcony, an inquest in Bradford was told.

Chef Roberto Marcuccio, of Honeypot Drive, Baildon, had been staying in a room on the fourth floor of the Els Pins hotel in the San Antonio Bay resort with his friend Matthew Pilgrim, a risk analyst, when he fell in the early hours of June 30 last year.

A statement by Mr Pilgrim read out in court said the pair had spent the evening at a bar. They had a few vodka Red Bulls but had not drunk heavily, returning to their room at about 2am.

Mr Pilgrim said he had just fallen asleep when he heard a noise, which he believed to be the sound of his friend tripping over the step on to the balcony.

He then saw Mr Marcuccio lying on the ground directly below the balcony.

Mr Pilgrim said he had measured the balcony railings as 90cm high and they were considerably lower than the railings for rooms at the front of the hotel.

Mr Marcuccio was 6ft 8ins and there was only 5ft 6ins between the entrance to the balcony and the railings, Mr Pilgrim’s statement said.

Mr Marcuccio was in the habit of smoking on the balcony before going to bed and his packet of cigarettes was visible in the hotel room at the time of the fall, the inquest heard.

Mr Pilgrim said: “The hotel management and authorities suggested he was drunk but this was not the case.”

Bradford Coroner Peter Straker, who had received English translations of Spanish toxicology, autopsy and police reports, said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Marcuccio’s death.

He did not read the contents of the reports out in court, other than medical details of the cause of Mr Marcuccio’s death which was due to head and other injuries.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, Mr Straker told Mr Marcuccio’s family who attended the hearing: “I do not have any power over Spanish hotels. I can’t do anything to change how they do things in Spain so I am afraid the whole issue of writing a report is denied us.

“This was a grossly premature death, when a young man was going away to have fun. I want you to know that I feel for you.”