'Bright and articulate' Conservative aide, 32, died on his Greek stag party three weeks before he was due to wed when he hit his head falling out of taxi

  • Ben Davies suffered a severe head injury during a week-long trip to Mykonos 
  • Fiancee Emily Russ flew out to the party island to be by his side in the hospital  
  • But the deputy chief of staff for Welsh government Conservatives died there
  • The couple had just bought a house in Cardiff and were all set for married life 

By Sebastian Murphy-bates For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A leading Conservative Party aide died on his stag do after falling when he got out of a taxi.

Oxford Unversity graduate Ben Davies was just three weeks away from his wedding when he tragically died on the island of Mykonos.

An inquest into his death heard he fell near to his hotel in Greece after 'alighting from a taxi'.

Mr Davies, 32, was deputy chief of staff for the Conservative group sitting in the Welsh Government in Cardiff.

Ben Davies and Emily Russ (both pictured) had just bought a house and were all set for married life when he died on his stag do 

Ben Davies and Emily Russ (both pictured) had just bought a house and were all set for married life when he died on his stag do 

The leading Conservative aide (pictured with his fiancee) died after falling out of a taxi on the party island 

The leading Conservative aide (pictured with his fiancee) died after falling out of a taxi on the party island 

He was due to marry fiancee Emily Russ and travelled to the party island with six close friends for the week.

The inquest heard Mr Davies suffered a severe head injury in June last year and was rushed to hospital.

After initial treatment on the island he was transferred to hospital in Piraeus on the mainland near Athens.

Heartbroken Miss Russ, 31, flew to his bedside. At the time she posted on Facebook: 'Positivity is the way forward!! The boy is a fighter! Probably one of the main reasons why I love him so much!'

Emily Russ (pictured with her fiance) wrote that he was a 'fighter' on Facebook when she flew out to be by his side 

Emily Russ (pictured with her fiance) wrote that he was a 'fighter' on Facebook when she flew out to be by his side 

But despite desperate efforts by medics he died of his injuries on July 3.  The couple had just purchased their first house together in Cardiff ready for married life.

Mr Davies studied history at the London School of Economics before going on to get an MSc in Russian and European Studies at Oxford.

He worked as an advisor for the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 General Election, helping Duncan Hames get elected as Wiltshire’s first Liberal MP in 86 years.

But he later volunteered for the Conservatives in London before landing a job with the Tory party in the Welsh Assembly.

After his death, Cardiff Conservative councillor Jayne Cowan said: 'Ben was a great figure on the campaign trail, he was very bright and very articulate.

'He had this fascinating sense of humour, you remembered when you’re in his presence even if there’s 10 other people there. He was special, it’s absolutely tragic.'

Friends and colleagues praised Mr Davies' sense of humour after his tragic death while on holiday on the Greek island 

Friends and colleagues praised Mr Davies' sense of humour after his tragic death while on holiday on the Greek island 

Coroner Graeme Hughes recorded a conclusion of accidental death at the inquest in Pontypridd.

Mr Davies attended the boarding school of Felstead in Essex before studying politics at Oxford University.

It was at Oxford he met Dex Torricke-Barton, who described Ben as 'the realest person I ever met.'

Communications executive Dex, a former speechwriter for Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, was due to be an usher at Ben's wedding but couldn't attend the bash in Greece because of work commitments.

The leading Conservative aide was just three weeks away from marrying his fiancee when he died on the island 

The leading Conservative aide was just three weeks away from marrying his fiancee when he died on the island 

He said Mr Davies was looking forward to the wedding as fiancee 'made him truly happy for the first time.'

Dex said: 'Ben was on his bachelor weekend in Greece when he had an accident.

'Doctors in Athens tried to save his life for a week, but his injuries were too severe.

'I was planning to fly to England in 2 weeks for his wedding, where I was going to be one of his groomsmen. Now he's having a funeral.'

Dex said while studying Russian Politics at Oxford Mr Davies would 'smoke like a chimney'.

Dex said: 'He was an awkward fit for Oxford, and sometimes he was sad that he couldn't better connect with people. But he didn't believe in changing himself or pretending to be more conventional to blend in with the crowd.

'Ben was the realest person I ever met. And now he's gone.'

His love of smoking saw him dubbed 'The Noble Lord Cigarette' by peers at university.

Ultan McCabe wrote online after his death: 'I am grateful for our friendship and to have been lucky enough to have enjoyed so, so many laughs with you over the years to the point of being in stitches, under clouds of your cigarette smoke.

'It is sickeningly sad that your life has been cut short.

'Life won't be the same without you and the number of laughs in the future for the many of us grieving for you will certainly be fewer, and of lesser quality.'

 

 

GreeceBen Davies

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