Harry Potter star's brother, friend died after being electrocuted while train surfing 'severely intoxicated': Inquest
The brother of actress Jessica "Jessie" Cave, who played Lavender Brown in the 'Harry Potter' films, was electrocuted to death along with a friend while train surfing in East London after getting drunk. The two came in contact with overhead wires carrying 25,000 volts of electricity.
The bodies of Ben Haddon-Cave, 27, and his friend, Paddy Bolster, 26, were discovered by the authorities on the overground line on March 21, a mile apart from each other, after a neighbor raised the alarm just before 1 am, The Sun reported.
An inquest into their deaths was held at the Poplar Coroners’ Court on Friday, August 30, where Coroner Mary Hassell said that the pair died on March 21, 2019.
"Benjamin Haddon-Cave on the railway track adjacent to Hackney Wick railway station in London, Patrick Bolster adjacent to the Stratford railway station in London," the coroner said, adding, "Death will have occurred immediately because of high voltage electrocution, and from where Ben’s body and clothing will have caught fire."
Ben was in a state of "severe intoxication or extreme drunkenness" at the time of his death, a pathologist who examined his remains said.
Paddy, on the other hand, was likely to have died from trauma to the head from the impact, however, electrocution also contributed to his death.
"There were burns to the upper part of Paddy’s body consistent with high-voltage thermal trauma," the coroner said at the inquest. "This trauma was probably caused when falling from the train. It is less likely that electrocution was the primary cause of death." His toxicology report also indicated "extreme intoxication".
The inquest was attended by a number of members of Ben's family, including his sister Jessie.
"The very last thing he said to Jamie, who was also at the gig but had to leave early, was that he loved him—something he would often say to all of us. In our view, stepping onto that freight train that night was an out-of-character decision. We believe that he has been depicted as some sort of reckless train surfer but that could not be further from the truth. He was a profoundly talented and creative mind," Ben's family said in a statement.
Before his death, he was working as a music producer and an actor and was signed on to play the lead role in an upcoming film. Paddy, Ben's friend of seven years and a student at Aberystwyth University, had come to London that afternoon to go to a comedy show.
Sunita Edirisooriya, Paddy’s girlfriend said that the last thing that he ever told her was, "You’re my wife. All is right in the world, I was thinking we should just get a flat and be happy. Talk to you soon," via text.
"We spoke about our future life and future children, we even knew what song we would dance to at our wedding. Paddy is incredibly special and words can’t do him justice," she added.
