A student died after being left to sober up in a sweltering car while on holiday with friends in Spain, an inquest was told yesterday.

Andrew Lewin, 18, from Rushden, Hertfordshire, had been drinking tequila in a Marbella nightclub until after 8am on the day he died. His friends had carried him from the club and driven him to his hotel, but could not rouse him and so left him in the car with the windows closed for more than five hours. Temperatures in the car rose to about 50C (122F).

Medical experts told the inquest at Hertfordshire Coroner’s Court in Hatfield that he died from a combination of alcohol intoxication and heatstroke. Professor Alexander Forest, a toxicologist, criticised society for being so accepting of drunkenness that unconsciousness brought about by excessive drinking was not considered a serious condition. “If it was any other injury, people would expect to get professional help as soon as possible,” he said.

Mr Lewin, a keen sportsman who had been planning to study law and become a barrister, died on July 29, 1997. The inquest was delayed for nearly a decade by two police investigations and legal action taken against the Crown Prosecution Service by the Lewin family. There have been no prosecutions in relation to the case.

The inquest continues.

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