A former primary school teacher and international football referee from Bolton died after falling from a first-floor roof as he tried to escape the Devon care home he was living in. Worsening dementia meant Gordon Hill, 90, had to move into Oak Wood House care home in Bradninch, near Exeter, the day before his fall, March 20, 2019. Tragically, he attempted to escape the home after becoming distressed, and fell onto the concrete below a flat roof. He was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital with severe injuries including rib and spinal fractures and head and chest injuries, but tragically passed away a few hours later.
A jury inquest into his death at Exeter's County Hall heard that during his second evening at the home, Mr. Hill became agitated and anxious, and wanted to call his partner. Care staff said he became aggressive towards them, and caused damage within the home, smashing a window above the front door. Two extra staff members were called in to assist, and the inquest was told Mr. Hill calmed down and was put to bed in his room at around 11.30pm, where he was "regularly monitored". Staff claimed they had tried calling Mr. Hill’s partner but had been unable to get hold of her. However, Mrs. Gosling, who has an answerphone machine, said she was home all evening and did not hear from the phone until 1.15am on March 21, when the care homeowner informed her of the fall. When asked about the unwitnessed fall, staff told the court that they discovered Mr. Hill was missing from his room during a check at around midnight and following a search of the corridor he was found to have fallen around 13ft from a flat roof outside the window of a vacant room. He had fallen onto the concrete below and was conscious when staff found him. A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of his death was chest injuries. Ischemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease also contributed to his death. Police confirmed that following an investigation, no criminal neglect proceedings had been launched. Following his death, a memorial exhibition of his artwork was held, and the Gordon Hill Bursary Fund in aid of Exeter City Football Club Community Trust was set up by his family. Donations are to be used for the purpose of breaking down barriers to participation in sport and physical activity.
Originally from Bolton, Gordon was a primary school teacher and also sang with the renowned Rossendale Male Voice Choir. He went on to become became a professional football referee in both the English Football Association and North American Soccer League. In March 1970, Gordon took charge of the FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Watford at White Hart Lane. His final season was 1974–75 which was marked by his most senior match – the League Cup Final between Aston Villa and Norwich City at Wembley in 1975. Shortly after, he reached the retirement age, then 47, for referees. In the 1970s and 1980s, he helped in the development of soccer in the USA through his involvement with the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Umbro International. In the later years of his life, he became an accomplished artist and moved to Exeter. Gordon had a lifelong interest in art. He continued to paint and draw every day until his passing. His family said: "Gordon was a remarkable international football referee who after a colourful life in football, education and ergonomics in the UK and USA, spent the last decade of his life in Exeter deeply engrossed in making colourful paintings."
Source: MEN
