A verdict of accidental death has been recorded by the coroner on former GP Christopher Martin Fenton.

Forty-seven year-old Mr Fenton, of Ballanard Road in Douglas, died of massive brain injuries following a fall at the home of a friend on May 21.

Blood samples taken in hospital showed a high level of alcohol, and he died on May 24 in the intensive therapy unit.

Mr Moyle said Mr Fenton had suffered alcohol problems for some time and it was a tragedy that an intelligent man with a glowing future should have fallen into the clutches of drink.

He repeated his view that a lot of people in the Isle of Man suffered alcohol problems and were not getting the assistance and treatment they should. He said it was time the Island "woke up" to the fact.

Mr Moyle said the one redeeming feature of Mr Fenton's death was the fact some of his organs had been taken by the transplant team to help others to live.

He told Mr Fenton's friend Yvonne Sayle that she had done all she possibly could to help him during the time she had known him, until she found him collapsed at the foot of the stairs at her home.