THE DEATH of a retired sales manager at an Andover care home was an accident, a coroner ruled this week.

Charles Leslie John Whincup, known as Les, suffered a fall during the night on October 20, 2019 at Arbory Residential Home.

The 85-year old was found by staff on the floor of his bedroom, where he had suffered a cut to the bridge of his nose and a bruise on his forehead, as well as an injury to his arm.

Though paramedics were summoned, he was not taken to hospital as Whincup refused treatment. With his behaviour described as “quite normal,” his family and staff at the home decided to keep him at the Arbory.

However, staff remained concerned for his welfare, and as his behaviour began to change, he was admitted to the Royal Hampshire Hospital on October 22.

At the hospital, it was discovered Whincup had suffered a brain haemorrhage as a result of the fall, causing bleeding on the brain. A chest X-ray revealed he had also developed aspiration pneumonia, which the area coroner, Jason Pegg, attributed as a result of the fall.

This pneumonia would subsequently cause Whincup’s death, with Pegg saying that “despite the care of the hospital, [Whincup] continued to deteriorate and died on October 30, 2019.” The use of anti-coagulants at the time of his fall was also noted as a contributing factor.

In a statement provided by his family, and read out in court, Whincup was described as “active and sporty in his younger years,” playing football, cricket and golf; the latter until the age of 80. He was also a keen gardener, holding an allotment for 50 years until his 70s.

He had worked as a regional sales manager for Nestle for 23 years until his retirement in 1991 at the age of 57, after which he worked part-time for Volkswagen.

He suffered from ‘mini strokes’ and deep vein thrombosis for a number of years before being diagnosed with dementia. His wife Wendy cared for him at home until she was unable to cope, leading to his admission to the Arbory on September 2, 2019.

Declaring a verdict of accidental death, Pegg described Whincup as “a family man” who had “a great sense of humour.”

He is survived by three children and six grandchildren, with his daughters Dawn and Bridget present for the inquest.