THE British dad who died after falling from a “collapsed” balcony on holiday has been pictured.
Tributes have poured in for Darren Silcox, 56, who was away with his family in Lanzarote, when he plunged 20ft to his death in the early hours of the morning.
The dad-of-two, from Pontnewydd, Cwmbran, was staying at the Galeon Playa Apartments in the resort of Costa Teguise.
He and a friend were standing on the balcony when the wooden banister gave way on October 25, an inquest heard.
Silcox, a much-loved shopkeeper, was pronounced dead at the scene, while his pal was hospitalised for serious injuries.
Tributes have since flooded in for the “lovely guy” as devastated customers – at his two stores in Pontnewydd and Five Locks – remembered his “friendly nature”.
One said: “I have very fond memories of taking daily trips to Darren’s Five Locks shop after school with my friends.
“He was always there and always so friendly to us.”
Another added: “Deepest condolences to Ellie and Connor and all of Darren’s friends and family. Thinking of them all at this incredibly difficult time.”
Torfaen county councillor David Daniels said Mr Silcox was a “lovely guy”.
A spokesperson told the BBC: “Darren and his wife [Kim] were at the heart of the community and had ran the [Premier] shops for many decades.
“Everybody who has grown up in the area would know the shops and we called in there every day after school. He was very kind to us and he was very generous.”
He added that his wife, Kim Silcox, died last year.
“For Darren Silcox to die a year after Kim passed away is unbelievably awful, and our thoughts are with his children, Connor and Ellie.”
To which a customer commented: “They have two sons who are now left without parents. It is tragic.”.
An inquest into the dad’s death was opened on Monday at Gwent Coroners’ Court but has been adjourned until a hearing on July 20, 2026.
The court heard a local civil guard was conducting an investigation into his death.
Area coroner, Rose Farmer, said the inquest was being opened “due to a death from injuries from a fall”.
She said preliminary investigations suggested Mr Silcox died “due to a traumatic brain injury due to a fall, skull fractures and skull lacerations”.
Cops will probe whether poor maintenance or safety measures contributed to the accident.
The focus of the police inquiry is whether poor maintenance or inadequate safety measures contributed to the fatal accident.
The Sun has approached the Foreign Office for comment.
His death came just a day after a tourist plunged to his death in front of his horrified daughter after losing his balance and falling from an iconic monument in Rome.
Japanese national Morimasa Hibino, 69, died after dropping from the Pantheon’s perimeter wall in the Italian capital, local media reported.
A passerby priest alerted cops when he saw the man lying in a ditch, according to local newspaper la Repubblica.
