Mum remembers '˜happy young man' who fell to his death in St Leonards

The mum of a St Leonards man who fell to his death on New Year's Day 2017 described the impact his passing has had on her and her family.
Daniel Dawson died after falling from flats in Charles Road, St Leonards, on New Year's Day 2017. Photo courtesy of Sussex PoliceDaniel Dawson died after falling from flats in Charles Road, St Leonards, on New Year's Day 2017. Photo courtesy of Sussex Police
Daniel Dawson died after falling from flats in Charles Road, St Leonards, on New Year's Day 2017. Photo courtesy of Sussex Police

Daniel Dawson, 25, of no fixed address, died after falling from a flat in Charles Road, St Leonards, at 4.38am on January 1, 2017.

An inquest into his death, held in Hastings on Tuesday (August 7), ruled Daniel, a father of two, died by misadventure. Read the full story here.

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During the hearing, a victim impact statement written by Daniel’s mother Maria was read to the court by her close friend Nicola Sarton.

She said: “Losing Daniel has been the greatest trauma imaginable.

“The stress has been utterly devastating. Losing a child so unexpectedly was devastating. Our children are supposed to outlive us, aren’t they?

“It has left a large hole in our family and has led to the most awful of circumstances. I feel like I have let my son down.

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“I hope one day I will wake up and it was one big nightmare. It is so painful to even think he is not here anymore. I have to resort to the advice of doctors to take daily pills to control the pain.”

Maria explained how Daniel’s older sister Natasha had been expecting her first child when he died.

She added: “The stress of the whole incident left her (Natasha) in hospital and she lost a part of herself when Daniel died.

“Daniel was a father of two lovely children who will not get to see their father while they grow up.

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“His two lovely nephews will not get to play with their uncle.

“I will make sure each of those lovely children gets to learn about Daniel and what a great man he was.

“He was the life and soul of our family. Every single one of us will remember him.

“He was such a happy young man. We miss his smiles. None of us knows how to deal with this. The pain will never go.

“He has left the biggest void in all our lives. None of us are living our lives now without him.”

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