Egg thief death 'was accidental'

The collector climbed the tree to look at a sparrowhawk's nest

A man described as a notorious thief of rare birds' eggs fell to his death after climbing a 40ft tree to examine a nest, an inquest heard.

Colin Watson, 62, died from a punctured heart and multiple broken ribs in the fall in woods at Doncaster on 24 May.

Doncaster Coroner's Court heard Mr Watson, from Selby, had climbed three-quarters of the way up the larch tree near Churchfield Road, Campsall.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Coroner Stanley Hooper said it was not his role to examine the circumstances of the fall.

He said: "There has been suggested to me a reason why Colin Watson might have wanted to climb up a tree at the age of 62 but, because of the way the law operates, I'm not concerned in this inquest as to why he climbed up a tree."

He said he'd climb the tree to see if there was anything in the nest. . . then I heard the sound of breaking branches and a thud David Sargent

At the opening of the inquest in May, the court heard Mr Watson, a father of three who worked at a power station, travelled to Doncaster from his home in Garman Carr Lane in Wistow, near Selby in North Yorkshire, with his friend David Sargent.

Mr Sargent told the court the pair had been looking at a birds' nest when his friend fell. He said: "Colin said, 'that looks like a sparrowhawk's nest' and he said he'd climb the tree to see if there was anything in the nest.

"I was not paying much attention. Then I heard the sound of breaking branches and a thud."

Dizzy spells

The court also heard Mr Watson had a history of high blood pressure, and his wife Patricia said he suffered from "dizzy spells" quite often.

After his death in May, the RSPB said Mr Watson had several previous convictions for collecting eggs spanning 14 years, with fines totalling more than £4,600.

He had at one time been "public enemy number one" in the bird protection world, but his last conviction was 10 years prior to his death, an RSPB spokesman said.