A young accountant fell down a 70ft cliff to his death when he ran from a taxi to avoid paying the fare . Graduate Jacob Phillips , 23 , plunged down the cliff when he leapt over a fence in the dark . Mr Phillips had caught the cab home after a night out with friends in December – but didn ’ t have enough cash to pay for it . An inquest heard he ran from the driver , who gave chase at the seaside town of Penarth , South Wales . Cabbie Dave Sidaway told the inquest : ‘ I stopped because I couldn ’ t see where I was going . I had no idea how much danger he was in. ’ Jacob Phillips , 23 , was found dead at the end of the disused Northern Promenade , a rocky area at the base of the cliff . The university graduate had been out drinking in Cardiff before catching a taxi with friends Padraig Crowley and Rory Robinson . Cardiff Coroner ’ s Court heard how the trio got out of the taxi to ‘ use an ATM ’ before making a run for it . ‘ The plan was to go to Penarth but we did not have enough money for the taxi – I ran off in one direction , Jacob went in another direction , ’ Mr Robinson told the inquest . ‘ Running away from the taxi was a stupid thing to do. ’ Mr Phillips , of Reading , Berks , was discovered the next day on the rocky beach by a dog walker . Paramedics arrived at the scene after his body was discovered in the morning by a dog walker . A long way down : Mr Phillips fell down this cliff after a night out . Tthe taxi driver said he would not have left him if he knew where they were . Recording a verdict of accidental death , coroner Andrew Barkley said : ‘ It is likely that he became disorientated and there is no evidence that he knew where he was at the time . ‘ There is no way he could have known the danger that lay in front of him . The following day with the benefit of light it was clear the danger he faced by the sheer drop off the cliff just yards beyond the fence. ’ Mr Phillips worked for Pretty Green , the clothing label run by Oasis star Liam Gallagher . He had grown up in Barry , South Wales , before studying accountancy at the University of Birmingham . The inquest heard that he had returned to Wales for Christmas and had been staying with his mother in the upmarket Cowbridge area . Mr Phillips had planned to stay at a friend ’ s house but he and his friends didn ’ t have enough money to complete the journey , so decided to trick the driver by ‘ dodging ’ the fare . Mr Phillips ran off into the ‘ pitch black ’ and fell down a cliff at the end of the disused Northern Promenade – also called The Dardanelles . Police search the scene at the bottom of the cliff where his body was discovered .
Jacob Phillips plunged down cliff after leaping over a fence in the dark . Got out of the taxi to 'use an ATM ' before running away , inquest heard .