Drowned postman 'climbed out of bed at 3am to begin his round and sleep-cycled into river'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10 ... round-and/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A postman with a history of sleepwalking drowned when he set off on his old delivery rounds in the middle of the night and cycled into a river, an inquest heard.

Retired postman John Sullivan, 66, climbed out of bed before 3am to jump onto his bike to pedal off on his route.

The hearing was told grandfather Mr Sullivan then rode to a fast-flowing river and was found drowned the next morning after a search.

Anyone lucky enough to still have their dad in your life, tell him how much you love him. It really hurts when you can't

His wife Rose told how her husband was prone to sleepwalking - and had been found "outside the house on occasions not knowing how he had got there."

Mother-of-two Mrs Sullivan, 64, said: "I believe John had one of his episodes."

The inquest was told how dedicated Mr Sullivan worked as a postman for 20 years until he retired in 2014.

Mrs Sullivan, who was married to Mr Sullivan for 39 years, said he used his bicycle in his role as a postman and carried on cycling after retiring.

She said that one night in February she woke at around 3.20am to realise her husband was not in bed at their home in Abergavenny, south Wales.

Mrs Sullivan said he had difficulty sleeping before and she looked around the house to find him. But she noticed her husband's bicycle and helmet were gone, but his fluorescent jacket was still hanging up.

She said her husband "wasn't dressed appropriately for a bike ride at that time of the morning".

The inquest heard Mrs Sullivan travelled the route he would take on his bike and called the police when she did not find him.

Her husband's bike along with his helmet was spotted by a dog walker on the river bank near the Castle Meadow bridge about a mile from their home.

Pc Jonathan Smith attended to the scene and walked along the river bank but couldn't see any trace of Mr Sullivan. A police helicopter was called in.

Mr Sullivan's body was pulled from the river between 300 and 400 yards downstream at about 10am.

Mr Sullivan was a well-respected figure in his home town, with neighbours saying he was well-known on his bike when he was a postman.

The cause is not known but can happen at any age. A post-mortem examination carried out by a pathologist at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny found his cause of death was as a result of drowning.

Gwent Coroner David Bowen returned an open verdict at the inquest in Abergavenny. He said no other conclusion could be made as there was "no evidence" into just how Mr Sullivan had gone into the water of the River Usk.

After the hearing, his son Paul, 31, said the family were hoping the hearing would bring "closure."

In a social network tribute to his father, Paul said: "Anyone lucky enough to still have their dad in your life, tell him how much you love him. It really hurts when you can't.

[exphg1961]

What a terribly sad story.

[Jpro747]

At 66 I expect he hadn't been retired for very long. RIP