A popular Keswick painter and decorator was remembered by his long-term partner as being meticulous and a perfectionist.
Rebecca Roberts paid tribute to her “beloved” Christopher Thwaites in a statement read to an inquest into his tragic death earlier this year.
Cockermouth Coroners’ Court heard on June 25 that Christopher, 52, and Rebecca had been together for 26 years after meeting in a Keswick nightclub when she was 18.
They lived in the town and she spoke proudly of his decision to go self-employed as a painter and decorator in his mid-30s. “It was the best thing he ever did,” she recalled, describing how he founded what became a very good local business which had a massive client list.
“He could never say no; would always fit people in,” said Rebecca, describing her partner as a “people-pleaser” who worked late nights, weekends and took very few days off.
“He was very meticulous and made sure everything he did was perfect. That’s why people wanted him.”
Clients became friends and would call on Christopher – an animal lover who was also well travelled – for other little jobs he could do.
In the early hours of March 16 this year, Rebecca recalled being woken as her partner rummaged in a cellar and through bedroom drawers.
Christopher apologised for waking her and, as he left the house, said: “I’ll love you forever”. “Which he’d never done before,” she said.
Later that day, worried when she had not seen him again, Rebecca flagged down a police vehicle in Keswick and reported her concerns. These had grown after she found his van – “packed to the brim, untidy and disorganised” – with a picture of the couple in younger days on a passenger seat.
“This is when I knew that something was wrong,” she stated. “Everything that he did in the early hours of the morning and his van layout was completely out of character.”
A body found in the River Greta that day, next to Penrith Road, was sadly confirmed as Christopher’s. He had died of multiple injuries.
Robert Cohen, a Cumbria area coroner, observed that there was “absolutely no evidence” to explain how Christopher came to be in the water, or why.
“I can’t be satisfied that it is more likely than not that Christopher died as a result of an intentional act. I also can’t be satisfied that it is more likely than not that this was an accident. I simply don’t know how it occurred,” he said.
Reaching a narrative conclusion, Mr Cohen stated: “He had fallen into the river and sustained multiple injuries which caused his death. It is not possible to determine how he came to fall or what his state of mind was at the time.”
Addressing Christopher’s family and friends, the coroner added: “It’s all too clear to me what a full life he led but also how very much he is missed. I send to Miss Roberts, and to all who knew Christopher, my sincere and profound condolences.”
