Head injury from fall killed former top jockey Walter Swinburn

Walter Swinburn, one of the most renowned jockeys of his generation, died as a result of an accident, a coroner has ruled.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Feb 2017, 17:18 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 08:46 BST
Walter Swinburn, one of the most renowned jockeys of his generation, who died as a result of an accident, a coroner has ruled.Walter Swinburn, one of the most renowned jockeys of his generation, who died as a result of an accident, a coroner has ruled.
Walter Swinburn, one of the most renowned jockeys of his generation, who died as a result of an accident, a coroner has ruled.

The 55-year-old suffered a fatal head injury after falling approximately 12 feet from his bathroom window in Belgravia, central London.

An inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court heard that although Mr Swinburn had epilepsy, it was not possible to establish whether this had contributed to the fall.

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Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe found that Mr Swinburn died as the result of an accident on December 12 last year.

A coroner’s officer said: “She confirmed that he had fallen from his bathroom window. The drop was estimated at about 12 feet, and it was into a courtyard.

“It was confirmed that Mr Swinburn suffered from epilepsy, but whether or not he had an epileptic fit which caused him to fall, was not possible to determine.”

Nicknamed the ‘Choirboy’, Mr Swinburn rode Shergar to glory in the 1981 Derby at the age of 19, one of three winners for him in the Epsom Classic alongside Shahrastani (1986) and Lammtarra (1995).

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He picked up many other big-race successes around the world before his retirement in 2000.

He then took over the training licence from his father-in-law, Peter Harris, in November 2004, sending out over 260 winners from his Hertfordshire base before handing in his licence at the end of October 2011, citing financial reasons.

Related topics:LondonHertfordshire