A TOURIST pleaded with a political activist seconds before he plunged to his death from the top of Portchester Castle, an inquest heard.

In a written account, tourist Duncan Moir said he was at the top of the medieval castle’s keep when he saw Michael Keith-Smith clinging to railings.

He then said: “You weren’t thinking of jumping were you? Whatever your problems are, they can get better.”

But seconds later Mr Keith-Smith disappeared over the wall and visitors watched in horror as the 57-year-old let go of a rail and plummeted to the ground. He suffered severe head, abdomen and chest injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest into his death heard how the chartered surveyor had been battling mental health problems after being diagnosed with type-two diabetes in 2008, later telling his wife Judy: “I feel like the bottom has dropped out of my world”.

Mrs Keith-Smith told Portsmouth Coroner’s Court how her husband’s behaviour was “out of character” and that he had “become depressive”.

Shortly before his death, she described how her husband had stabbed himself in the bathroom of the couple’s home in Castle Road.

He later became a voluntary patient at The Meadows psychiatric facility in Sarisbury Green and in the days that followed appeared to be making progress with his condition. He said he had regretted the self-harm and wanted to return home.

But during a visit to his house on the morning of Saturday, July 3 last year, his wife realised he had gone missing.

Moments later she saw emergency services rushing to the nearby castle.

Coroner Carolyn Russell said it would not have been possible to predict Mr Keith-Smith’s actions on the day.

She recorded a verdict of suicide.

Michael Keith-Smith

Michael Keith-Smith was widely known in the area as a political activist.

He was the co-founder of the right-leaning political group the Conservative Democratic Alliance.

Also known as Mike Smith, the chartered surveyor was expelled from the Tories in 2002 for threatening to put up candidates from the Alliance against the Conservatives. But he was reinstated following a High Court writ, finally leaving the party of his own accord to join UKIP.

In 2005 he mounted a failed bid to win Portsmouth North for UKIP.

He was also involved in local civic group the Portchester Society, giving a talk on military music to the group earlier in 2010.