Nigel Blythe-Tinker disappeared while on a cruise ship (Picture: Supplied by Champion News)
A lawyer who disappeared from a Mediterranean cruise ship died after falling from his cabin’s balcony, a judge has found.
Nigel Blythe-Tinker, 72, went missing while on board the Seven Seas Mariner cruise ship last July 21.
The alarm was raised when Nigel, who had previously worked as the head of legal at William Hill, didn’t depart the ship in Barcelona, Spain, having been on board when the ship left Marseilles in France the day before.
Ship staff found his cabin empty with his clothes ‘neatly folded’ on the bed after his family’s ‘desperate attempts’ to contact him failed.
Now a High Court judge has declared that Nigel met his death after falling from his cabin’s balcony in the early hours of the morning.
Analysis of ship CCTV later found footage of an object – which appeared to be a person ‘feet first’ – falling from the ship near to Mr Blythe-Tinker’s cabin balcony and hitting the water.
The Seven Seas Mariner was the first cruise liner to boast ‘all suite, all balcony’ cabins, with every cabin featuring its own private balcony.
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Nigel, originally from Worksop in Nottinghamshire, had been married three times and had two adult daughters. He was in the process of moving back to England following a period of living in Australia when he vanished.
During the cruise his family became concerned when he started displaying unusual behaviour and sending messages in which he ‘wasn’t himself’.
His daughter Sophie Blythe-Tinker told judge Chief Master Karen Shuman that Nigel had told his cousin he’d had ‘a suicidal thought’ and also seemed confused in messages with other family members.
A ship doctor was dispatched to check on him, but he told the doctor he’d had ‘no suicidal thoughts’ and was physically well apart from back pain.
Sophie, who brought the case to court looking for clarity over her dad’s death, told the judge that he had seemed ‘strange’ in his responses to messages and emails shortly before his disappearance.
Giving judgment in the case and declaring the missing lawyer officially dead, the judge said Mr Blythe-Tinker had been ‘an active 72-year-old’ who ‘travelled extensively’.
However, he ‘wasn’t himself’ and had became ‘increasingly abnormal’ during his time on the ship, she said.
Chief Master Karen Shuman concluded: ‘I have viewed the video evidence. Something descends from the ship at 4.28am.
‘I’m prepared to accept that was a body and the direction is consistent with it coming from the suite Mr Blythe-Tinker was in.
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For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
If you’re a young person, or concerned about a young person, you can also contact PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide UK. Their HOPELINK digital support platform is open 24/7, or you can call 0800 068 4141, text 07860039967 or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org between the hours of 9am and midnight.
‘The ship was miles from any port or land at the time.
‘I’m satisfied on the evidence before me that Mr Blythe-Tinker died at 4.28am central European time by falling to his death from the ship that he was on.’
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