John LyonA FAMILY is mourning the loss of a husband and father after he fell to his death from a hotel balcony.

John Lyon, 46, a builder from Maunsell Way in Wroughton died on Friday evening after plunging nearly 30 feet from a second floor balcony at the four-star Hilton Nuweiba Coral Resort near the Red Sea resort of Taba.

Yesterday, his widow, Tina, 46, a hairdresser at the Pam'per hair salon at Newport Street in Swindon's Old Town, paid tribute to the man she had been married to for 22 years.

"He was handsome and kind." she said.

"He would do anything for anybody, and he loved his family.

"He did a lot of work not only here but across the area. He was an excellent builder, but kept himself to himself. He was very private, but was always prepared to help others."

Mr Lyon, who has originally from Stratton and went to Headlands School, also enjoyed football and playing golf. His death has been a huge shock to the family.

"Now he's gone, I have no idea what's next, I am trying to keep a brave face, but I am sure that will soon disappear."

The couple's two children, Ceri, 17, and Jamie, 19 have been shaken by the accident.

"I have no idea what happened," explained Mrs Lyon.

"We arrived in Egypt, and went out the next morning to the beach, had some lunch, then went back to the hotel to get ready for our evening meal, and had a couple of drinks. When we got back, I went to bed and John stayed up and that was the last time I saw him.

"I think he was just out there enjoying the view. The next thing I knew, I was being woken up and asked to go to hospital in Sharm el Sheikh, where they had taken John.

"I can only think that it is a freak accident. He was not scared of heights being a builder and I don't think he had a heart attack, because he was always fit and healthy, I just don't know."

The couple had arrived in Egypt just a day before the accident happened. They had been due to spend a week there.

The holiday company Longwood Holidays, who specialise in breaks to North Africa and the Middle East, said the fall was nothing more than an accident and there was nothing that the hotel could have done to prevent it.

It is understood that Mr Lyon survived the fall but died later in hospital.

His body was expected to arrive from Cairo today.

Plans for his funeral are on hold until his body is flown back to Swindon.

Thousands of British tourists flock to the Red Sea resort of Nuweiba every year, many people going to enjoy the small, peaceful resort and port, while others use it as a start point to enjoy the Sinai Peninsula.

Just before the couple arrived, the town was rocked by a terrorist attack that killed two, while another attack in nearby Taba killed nearly 30.

Anthony Osborne