Scout leader in ravine plunge died 'at his absolute happiest'

A 21-year-old Scout leader was at his "absolute happiest" when he set off on a walk in Liechtenstein which ended in him falling 1,000 feet to his death down a ravine, his mother said today.

Thomas Moore, 21, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, went missing after he split from his group during a two-week expedition organised by Hertfordshire Scouts, to do some walking on his own.

His body was found by search teams two days later, on Monday, hours after his parents arrived in Liechtenstein.

Speaking from her home in Stevenage today, his mother Diane Moore, 48, said: "The last text I had from him said, 'one more walk and then I will have done everything I wanted to do'. It was the sort of thing he loved to do. We know right up until a minute or so before he died he was probably at his absolute happiest."

Mrs Moore said Tom had been on the trip since 27 July and was due to return on Saturday. She was contacted after her son did not appear to meet his colleagues. She said: "At that point I knew my son was dead. I just knew."

Mrs Moore and her husband Pete, 51, who both work at a local hospital, returned from Liechtenstein today, as Tom's body was being flown back. He had been found at the bottom of a ravine.

Mrs Moore said they were not sure what had happened but it was possible the weather had turned on him. Speaking for herself, her husband, son Andrew, 20, and daughter Maxine, 16, she said: "It looks as if he probably died straight away. That's some sort of comfort to us.

"We don't feel there's anybody to blame. It was just a dreadful, dreadful accident." Tom had been a member of the Scouts since he was a six-year-old. He was working as an energy efficiency officer at Newham council and stood for the Green Party in local elections in May this year.

A Scout Association spokesman said today the assistant explorer scout leader had told his group he was going to walk some local ridges, taking a day sack, money and passport with him.

He said: "Tom's close relatives were informed of his disappearance on Saturday afternoon. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time."