Man plunged 12ft to his death after friend pushed him in drunken golf prank
DI George said: “All of the CCTV shows them in good spirits and no signs of animosity.DI George said a proposed cause of death following a lengthy stay in hospital for Conner was a hypoxic brain injury caused by traumatic spinal cord injury.



TOPGOLF is a golf driving range game with electronically tracked golf balls and automatically scored drives.The court heard the police eventually chose not to pursue any charge of manslaughter as the “evidential test was not met” and that the pure intention from the push was for Conner to land on the safety netting.Its UK venues include Chigwell, Watford, Surrey and Glasgow.”A number of times it shows the friends trying to push each other into the safety netting. It was plainly seen as a joke.”
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“It was said in a joking manner. He ran to him and pushed him. It was a two-handed push.”One of Conner’s friends ran up and pushed him, but instead of falling onto the net, he went over the edge and fell to the ground around 12ft below.Conner, from Clacton-on-Sea, went headfirst over the edge of the safety nets on the first floor of the range and died five weeks later from a spinal injury.
‘NOTHING MALICIOUS’
Conner Groom, 22, fell 3.7m from a bay at Topgolf in Chigwell, Essex, during a work Christmas party on December 21, 2021.
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Before Conner was pushed by an unnamed friend, there had been seven other incidents of pushes or attempted pushes by the group. He told the court that the venue had made a number of changes to its policies following the tragic incident, including updates to its signage and a more “zero tolerance” approach to those who push people into the safety nets.There are multiple Topgolf game variations such as Topgolf, TopChip, TopShot, TopPressure and Angry Birds.The man who ended up pushing Conner was not involved in the previous pushing incidents, the detective said.DI George added: “The parents of Conner Groom didn’t support a prosecution of [his friend].Mr Jarvis added that Epping Forest Council had been satisfied with all the changes made at Topgolf and that no enforcement action had been taken against the venue.
WHAT IS TOPGOLF?
Graham Jarvis, a senior environmental health officer for Epping Forest Council, conducted a review into Topgolf and its safety procedures following Conner’s death.
Essex Coroner’s Court heard how Conner and his friends had been drinking throughout the evening before arriving at the venue.
He sustained a serious spinal injury and was later taken to the Royal London Hospital.Sadly, his condition worsened and he died from his injuries on January 25, 2022.Mr Brookes said the case was a “terrible tragedy” and recorded a conclusion of misadventure.DI George said this happened several times and that a member of security came to speak to the group about their behaviour.”They believed that Conner would not have wanted to support any action over him as they are good friends.”DI George continued: “Immediately before the fatal push, [Conner’s friend] said he was going to push Conner into the net.Detective Inspector Lydia George, from Essex Police, told the inquest how officers had taken statements from multiple people at the scene and reviewed the CCTV footage of the incident.Coroner Lincoln Brookes said he was completely satisfied that there had been no intention of harm by anyone in Conner’s group and that it had been his friend’s full intention for him to land on the safety net.
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A MAN plunged to his death after a friend pushed him 12ft to the ground in a driving range prank gone wrong, an inquest heard.After they began their session, the friends were playing pranks on each other by pushing or nudging each other to fall onto the safety nets.

