Friend accidentally kills Conner Groom by pushing him off Essex golf driving range bay

Conner Groom died after being pushed in a drunken prank from a 3.6m-high golf driving range bay at Topgolf in Chigwell, Essex. Photo / Getty Images

A bricklayer died from catastrophic spinal injuries after his friend pushed him from a 3.6m-high golf driving range bay in Britain in a drunken prank.

Conner Groom fell from a booth at Topgolf in Chigwell, Essex, during a work Christmas party on December 21, 2021.

The 22-year-old was pushed by a close friend but his grieving relatives told police they did not want the man to be prosecuted over the death.

The friend was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm without intent following the incident, but the charges were later dropped.

Essex Coroner’s Court heard Groom went head-first over the edge of the safety net below the bays of the first floor of the driving range and died five weeks later from a spinal injury.

The inquest heard Groom and his friends had been drinking throughout the evening before they arrived at Topgolf.

After they began their session, the friends started jokingly pushing each other onto the safety nets, the inquest heard.

The group were warned repeatedly by staff to stop, and they apologised and said they “wouldn’t do it again”.

However, a short while later Groom’s friend ran up and pushed him, but instead of falling onto the net like his friends, he went over the edge and fell head-first to the ground.

‘Plainly seen as a joke’

Detective Inspector Lydia George, from Essex Police, told the inquest how officers had taken statements from multiple people at the scene and reviewed CCTV footage of the incident.

She said: “All of the [footage] shows them in good spirits and no signs of animosity.

“A number of times it shows the friends trying to push each other into the safety netting. It was plainly seen as a joke.”

The man who ended up pushing Groom to his death was not involved in the previous pushing incidents, the detective said.

George said Essex Police consulted with the Crown Prosecution Service and Groom’s family about whether to take further action against his friend.

The court heard the police eventually chose not to pursue any charges as the “evidential test was not met” and that the intention was for Groom to land on the safety netting.

She said: “The parents of Conner Groom didn’t support a prosecution of [his friend].

“They believed that Conner would not have wanted to support any action over him as they are good friends.”

George said the police concluded it was a “prank that resulted in a tragic accident”.

‘Terrible tragedy’

Graham Jarvis, a senior environmental health officer for Epping Forest Council, conducted a review of Topgolf and its safety procedures following Groom’s death.

He told the court the venue had made changes to its policies following the incident, including updating its signage and introducing a more “zero tolerance” approach to those who pushed people onto the nets.

Jarvis added the council had been satisfied with the changes made and no enforcement action had been taken against the venue.

Coroner Lincoln Brookes said he was satisfied that it had been the intention of Groom’s friend for him to have landed on the safety net.

Brookes said: “I entirely accept that due to high spirits there was nothing malicious whatsoever.”

He said the case was a “terrible tragedy” and recorded a conclusion of misadventure.