A promising Leeds Rhinos rugby player on a last-minute holiday in Cornwall plunged to his death from cliffs after taking a wrong turn while trying to find his wallet, an inquest has heard.

Andrew Curwell, 18, is thought to have mistaken a private lane for a public coastal path when he stepped over a small stone wall and was confronted with a sheer drop near Newquay on June 28 last year.

He was making his first visit to the resort and only discovered he was available to take the holiday a few days before he arrived.

Mr Curwell was part of a 12-strong group of friends from the Saddleworth area of Lancashire, who had spent the evening drinking as part of an organised bar crawl.

An inquest in Truro yesterday heard how the friends drank cider, alcopops and shots before Mr Curwell realised his wallet was missing.

James Kidd, one of his friends, told the court: "Andrew was annoyed. He said he'd lost his wallet and wanted to find it. It had more than £100 in there and his bank cards. He was saying this was the worst thing that could happen."

Mr Curwell left the group to find his wallet at midnight. However, his friends received a call from police the following morning and later informed them of the grim discovery.

Mr Curwell's body had been found at the foot of 35m (110ft) cliffs on the Great Western beach shortly before 5am by a group of revellers. Friends said although he was trying to retrace his steps they were not aware of Mr Curwell going anywhere near the area.

The pathologist said Mr Curwell had suffered severe head and body injuries. A toxicology report later revealed he was twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Barrie van den Berg said: "Mr Curwell's last moments will forever be shrouded in mystery. There was a combination of being under the influence of alcohol, being in a very dark area, and being disorientated somewhere he was not familiar with.

"This was a dreadful accident."

Speaking outside the court, DC Jarrod Yewen from Newquay CID said: "This has been a very upsetting case. Mr Curwell had a bright future ahead of him."

Mr Curwell's death was one of two similar incidents in the resort. Eight days later, 16-year-old Paddy Higgins fell to his death on Tolcarne beach.