It was a tree Larry Neff loved to climb as a boy, but the mighty copper beech ended up killing him in front of his family.

The 53-year-old stage production manager died while attempting to cut off a dead branch 25ft up in the garden of his mother’s country home in Littlebourne.

It was hanging over a bonfire, which had been built for a family gathering in memory of his father due to take place two days later.

But an inquest heard how the branch snapped as he sawed through it and swung sideways, knocking him off the ladder.

The horrific accident was witnessed by his wife Hannah, who was standing on the foot of the ladder, and his four-year-old son Lochlan, who was watching nearby.

“Laurence was so safety conscious and clued up. No one could have anticipated it. It was so quick. It should have just fallen straight down” - Friend Edward McNaughton

Paramedics fought to revive Mr Neff at the scene but he never regained consciousness.

On Thursday, senior coroner Alan Blunsdon heard the tragic circumstances surrounding Mr Neff’s death, recorded by a post mortem as having been caused by multiple injuries.

The coroner heard that the father-of-two was safety conscious and used to climbing ladders because of his job designing sets for the Kronos Quartet.

Giving evidence, family friend Edward McNaughton, who was helping Mr Neff, described how the ladder had been tied to the tree in the garden of Lee Priory as the work got under way on June 12.

He said: “I had built the bonfire in the garden and Laurence noticed the dead branch was hanging over it and decided it was sensible to cut it down in case it caught light.

“Laurence ensured the ladder was tied up against the tree, and as he went up Hannah was standing on the foot of it.

“He asked me to hold a rope over the branch but not to pull, just brace it.

“He started sawing and then we heard a crack.

“We thought it would just fall straight to the ground but it swung straight into the ladder.

“It all happened in an instant and he hit the tree with his head as he fell.

“Hannah screamed to get an ambulance and I led Lochlan away and kept him occupied.

“Laurence was so safety conscious and clued up. No one could have anticipated it. It was so quick. It should have just fallen straight down.”

Mrs Neff, who lives in California, was not at the hearing, but described in a statement how she tried to save her husband.

She said: “Larry set up the ladder and secured a rope around the end of the dead branch. Edward was holding the rope as Larry was sawing.

“As I opened my eyes I saw Larry falling in front of me. He struck the ground head first. I screamed for an ambulance"- Widow Hannah Neff

“He made quick work and there was a crack and the branch fell and swung towards us and I thought it might hit me.

“I closed my eyes and shielded my face but I felt it hit the ladder instead.

“As I opened my eyes I saw Larry falling in front of me. He struck the ground head first.

“I screamed for an ambulance. I went to Larry and rolled him into the recovery position and his breath was fading.

“I couldn’t find a pulse and very shortly his breathing stopped. I attempted to start CPR and used Larry’s phone to call the emergency services.

“They had me continue CPR until the paramedics arrived.”

Recording that Mr Neff’s death had been an accident, Mr Blunsdon said: “The evidence is clear that Larry was going to do a perfectly normal act and had taken all of the safety precautions that one would imagine.

“What then happened was totally unexpected. The bow didn’t behave as expected but it cracked and spun, hitting the ladder in a way that Larry was totally unprepared for and he fell, suffering fatal injuries.

“The evidence convinces me that this was no more than a tragic, sad accident.”