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Search forPlunge death tourist could have been stargazing, inquest hears
13:43 - 24-July-2008
German globetrotter Otto Baumgartner, 51, was found dead at the bottom of the former Phillips Electronics building in London Road, Broad Green just hours after he arrived in the town.
At this morning's hearing, Croydon coroner Dr Roy Palmer recorded an open verdict and described the case as a “mystery”.
He said there was not enough evidence to suggest Mr Baumgartner, a painter, was killed unlawfully or committed suicide.
But he said it was curious that his crumpled body was found around five metres away from the building, which might suggest he “projected” himself forwards from the building.
Mr Baumgartner's family were not present, but a representative from the Germany Embassy in London questioned whether Mr Baumgartner, who had an interest in astrology, had climbed the building to stargaze.
Michael Keune said: “Is it possible it was a nice night and he saw stars and wanted to go up there?”
Croydon Coroner's Court heard how Mr Baumgartner arrived in Croydon at around 11pm on May 3 after arriving in London a few days previously from his homeland in Bad Säckingen, a south German town.
He was found dead at around 8.30am the following day by a security guard in the rear court yard of the site.
One question raised at the hearing was how the backpacker managed to get onto the site, as there was only once access point which ran via the security office.
But the court heard how the security guard on duty that night had done a double shift.
Dr Palmer said it was possible the security guard “dozed off” allowing Mr Baumgartner to enter the site undetected.
His family were not present at the inquest, but statements were read at the hearing.
A statement from his brother Gebhard read: “Otto loved life and had never given any intention of wanting to commit suicide.
“He loved politics, particularly German, American and Swiss, and he also loved astrology.
“I visited him one week before his trip and gave him some cakes, but he did not say anything about his travel plans, which was normal.”
Another family member, Christian Baumgartner, described him as a “globetrotter” who would often go off on trips round the world.
But none of his family knew about his latest trip, or why he ended up in Croydon.
Delivering the open verdict, Dr Palmer said post mortem tests revealed Mr Baumgartner died from multiple injuries.
He said: “I am sorry we cannot arrive at any firm conclusions to give Mr Baumgartner's family some answers.
“It might have been an accident, he could have been studying the weather.
“But it is hard to understand how he was found so far from the edge of the building, unless he had projected himself outwards.”
Sergeant John Nunn said it was not clear which floor Mr Baumgartner fell from, but it must have been from some “considerable height”.
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