A 19-YEAR-OLD student told yesterday how a fun night out ended in tragedy when his friend plunged 70ft to his death.
Stuggling to come to terms with the death of Matthew Egglestone, James Gray said: "He was my best friend."
Solicitor's clerk Matthew, 18, was killed when he crashed 70ft from a public stairwell on to concrete, while taking a shortcut during a night out.
The tragedy happened as he, James and Ross Hutcheson took a shortcut up George Stairs, off Newcastle's Dean Street, in the early hours of Tuesday.
When they reached the top, they came to a metal barrier blocking the path.
Tragically, Matthew tried to edge around it but lost his footing and plunged to a car park below Cale Cross House.
James said: "We never would have gone up the stairs if we had known they were shut at the top."
At the family home in Falstone, Washington, Wearside, Matthew's father Ian, said: "He was our only son and a good one. He was kind, generous and happy-go-lucky. He never did anything wrong."
A Newcastle City Council spokesman said an investigation was under way to see if it had been informed by Railtrack about the stairs' closure.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article