Dad drank himself to loss of life on 3-day Butlin’s bender after quitting hospital

A dad-of-four died on the floor of a friend’s Butlin’s chalet

An inquest has heard how David Moyies drank himself to death while on holiday with family and friends at Butlin’s.

The 44-year-old arrived at the seaside resort in Minehead, Somerset, on Friday September 22, 2023 and embarked on a weekend of booze and cocaine. The landscape gardener who visited Butlin’s for a music event, made it until Saturday night before his whole body began twitching, and his sister called an ambulance.

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The ambulance record showed Mr Moyies had been out drinking and using cocaine and he was conveyed to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, complaining of pain down his left side.

However, rather than bring an early end to the holiday, Mr Moyies discharged himself from hospital and returned to Butlin’s where he continued drinking.

His sister Anna Sherbourne told an inquest in Taunton, Somerset, that she had been concerned about Mr Moyies as he had been looking “pale and unwell” after returning from hospital.

She said; “We were having a good time as it was a music weekend. On Sunday 24th me and Dave had lunch at Brewers Fayre. He was looking pale and unwell but said he was fine. I asked him again and he maintained he was fine.

“We finished our meal and went back to the main Butlins area.” Later, she joined friends in their chalet. “We were having drinks but I did not want to have too many,” Ms Sherbourne added.

“Dave joined us and they were having shots. Ellie was pouring four shots in one glass and telling people to drink it. “I was telling him not to, Dave said he was fine and carried on drinking.

“I went back to my chalet to get some sleep. I had been there for one or two hours when Jack came banging on the door shouting ‘David’s dead’ and I could see that he was not breathing.

“I started CPR before the ambulance arrived, they took over and worked on David for half an hour before confirming he had died.”

During the party at the chalet, witnesses said Mr Moyies had become so drunk he fell back off of his chair and hit his head. He then laid on the floor and refused to return to his own chalet, and friends made him comfortable by putting pillows under his head.

Mr Moyies, who was separated from wife Helen, then fell asleep and was heard snoring, until one friend noticed ‘he didn’t look right’ before realising he was no longer breathing.

Witness Ellie Blythe told the court: “We had all gone to the bar for drinks and I would say we were quite drunk. It was the early hours of Monday 25th when David fell over and hit his head on the corner of the table. He was really drunk. He was on the kitchen floor and said he wanted to stay and sleep rather than go back to his apartment.

“We tried to get him to go to bed but he said he was fine. 10 minutes later he was sleeping and snoring on the floor. Anna was trying to wake him and get him to go to bed but he was sound asleep.

“We left him on the floor, someone put a pillow for him to make him more comfy. In the early hours David was still sleeping on the floor.

“When I saw David on the floor he did not look right and I asked a friend to check on him. “I could see he was not breathing. Anna rang 999 for an ambulance. But there was nothing that could be done to save David.

A toxicology report found he had blood alcohol levels of 416mg per 100ml of blood – more than five times the legal drink drive limit.

He also had a complex medical history and was a cocaine user, according to information given to the ambulance service when he was initially conveyed to hospital.

Reviewing officer, Police Sgt Larcombe, of Avon and Somerset Police, said Mr Moyies had “discharged himself against advice of hospital staff and returned to Butlin’s to carry on his weekend where it appears he continued drinking.”

Pathologist Dr Sheffield said Mr Moyies, who lived in Bideford, Devon, had heart issues as well as asthma, PTSD, single vessel coronary disease, emotionally unstable personality disorder, and was on multiple medications.

Dr Sheffield said: “It was simply drinking to excess which had the consequences of causing his death.”

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