Man who died at Dunedin's Carousel bar named

Bar owner John Devereux said he believed Willyams had fallen down the stairs at the entrance to the bar.

Police have named the man who died at Dunedin's Carousel bar at the weekend.
He was Dennis Llewellyn Willyams, of Dunedin.

The 68-year-old died early on Saturday morning following what was believed to have been a fall down the stairway entrance to the lounge bar in lower Stuart St.

Emergency services were called shortly before 4am, but Willyams died at the scene.

Bar owner John Devereux said he believed Willyams had fallen down the stairs at the entrance to the bar.

A police spokeswoman said last night they had concluded their inquiries into the death, which was not suspicious, and it had been referred to the coroner.

A witness earlier described the valiant efforts of emergency services to revive Willyams as he lay lifeless and bleeding after the fall.

A Dunedin man, who requested anonymity, said he was returning to the upmarket bar to meet friends after buying a kebab, when he noticed the man lying in a pool of blood on the brick pavement outside the entrance.

Firefighters and paramedics were working frantically to revive him, but after several minutes realised it was to no avail and the man was put into an ambulance, the witness said.

The man said the harrowing scene would be with him for as long as he lived.

"It just takes one mis-step, or not holding on to the rail, it doesn't matter. I just count my lucky stars that I walked out of there, when someone else just didn't quite make it out."

He went back up the stairs to meet his friends before police officers announced the bar was in lockdown, to prevent witnesses leaving and traversing a possible crime scene via the stairs.

Officers took statements from those in the bar, before the patrons climbed out a window on to a fire escape, where they were lifted down to Stuart St two at a time with the help of a Fire and Emergency New Zealand "snorkel" vehicle with a platform.

Devereux's said his thoughts went out to all those affected. It was very upsetting for the staff working at the time, he said.

"It's very, very tragic and sad for everyone involved."