David John Grover, 72, from Margate in Kent, was discovered on rocks at the bottom of the cliff at Mousehole, Cornwall, last winter after he absconded from a trial. His body was spotted by walkers on November 22, prompting a massive emergency response. Coastguard cliff rescue teams and RNLI crews searched the cliff and water below.
Absconded Before Verdict
Mr Grover had been due to hear the verdict in his trial at Canterbury Crown Court the day before but failed to attend court, and a high risk missing person warrant was issued by police in Kent, Cornwall Live reports. He took a taxi to Margate train station, withdrew £200 in cash, and travelled by train to St Pancras in London before being found dead in Mousehole near Penzance the next day.
Family's Account
An inquest into his death held in Truro on Tuesday heard how Mr Grover's health started deteriorating as allegations of a sexual nature were made against him two years prior to his death. Mr Grover faced three counts of indecent assault, one of sexual assault, and a fifth charge of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in connection with an alleged sexual assault on a female under the age of 14 three decades prior.
His daughter Sherie Seal told the coroner's court how her father had a great personality and sense of humour, and had been a proud man who was loved by his family and friends. She told the hearing how he loved bowling and was the captain of the Margate bowling club. He had a dog whom he had raised from pup and enjoyed playing chess or board games with his grandchildren.
She said: "His overall health deteriorated when false allegations were made against him that happened 30 years ago. That caused him sleepless nights." Mrs Seal said she attended the trial every day to be by her father's side and support him through the ordeal. She added: "He had already been destroyed the day false allegations were made... On the day of the closing statements you could see that my dad was broken. He was very quiet and distant. I told him it would be okay."
She told the inquest how her father still could not believe the allegations made against him and believes he was badly treated by police investigating the allegations. "Dad was a strong living man and he was ruined by an unhinged, lying fantasist," she said.
Investigation and Conclusion
The inquest heard Mr Grover had booked a short stay at the Queen's Hotel on Penzance Promenade the week before his trial had been due to start, and he was familiar with the area. A police investigation found Mr Grover had last been seen in court the day before his death but absconded on the day the jury was due to give its verdict. He was discovered dead in Mousehole the next day having concealed his digital presence by withdrawing £200 in cash instead of paying for anything with cards. A postmortem examination showed Mr Grover drowned.
The police officer investigating the circumstances of Mr Grover's death said no third party or suspicious circumstances were involved. Andrew Cox, senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said that while he was the subject of an ongoing criminal trial, no conclusion had yet been reached and no conviction. He said: "The jury had not returned its verdict. On the last day of the trial, Mr Grover took a taxi to the train station and then the train to St Pancras in London. What happened after that, we don't know. He travelled from London to Cornwall and Penzance but there is no evidence of how he did it, whether he took the train or hitched a lift.
"There is no evidence of how he came to be in the sea and drowned. The obvious implication is that he died from suicide but there is a huge gap in the evidence with nothing that explains how he went from London to Cornwall and what happened when he arrived in Penzance." In the absence of conclusive evidence on how Mr Grover came by his death, Mr Cox recorded an open conclusion.
