Soho rooftop fall kills 22-year-old broker

A 22-year-old sales broker died after falling from a Soho rooftop following an evening of drinking alone across central London venues, an inquest at Inner West London Coroner’s Court heard.

The Evening Standard reports that Ryley Harbord, from Dartford, fell from a building on Brewer Street shortly after 2am on 3 May 2025. A Metropolitan Police detective told the court Harbord began his night at Simmons Bar near Piccadilly Circus at about 9pm and later had altercations with staff at Bill’s and the Piccadilly Theatre.

CCTV placed him near stairs leading to residential rooftops around midnight. The inquest heard he climbed a gate into a courtyard and appeared to become trapped, taking off his shoes while trying to get out. Audio recorded about 15 minutes before the emergency call captured a man shouting “Oh f***, oh f***”, followed by the sound of breaking glass and sirens.

An autopsy found the cause of death was a head injury, with multiple fractures to the skull and sternum, brain and scalp lacerations, and bruising to both lungs. Toxicology showed a blood alcohol concentration of 251mg/100ml—more than three times the UK drink-driving limit—and the presence of cocaine at recreational levels. The coroner also heard his system contained remnants of ADHD medication.

Harbord had stopped ADHD medication at 15 but contacted his GP in 2023 to restart it after feeling “out of control”, the court was told. The surgery referred him to local drug and alcohol support services; the case was later closed after he did not respond to contact attempts. He had been assessed as low risk for overdose or self-harm.

Police said they could not establish how he accessed the rooftop. He did not know anyone at the property and investigators found no obvious entry points.

Assistant coroner Sophie Mortimer recorded an open conclusion, saying the evidence did not allow the court to determine whether the fall was accidental or deliberate, and that there was no indication of third-party involvement.

The case leaves a detailed trail of CCTV timestamps and toxicology numbers, but no clear account of how a night out ended on a roof.