An inquest has heard that Paul Rossington should receive Australia's highest bravery award. The officer in charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Michael O'Keefe, said Mr Rossington should be recognised for his bravery with Australia's highest honour, the Cross of Valour. "He must have known that jumping out would most likely end with him losing his life," Mr O'Keefe said. Advocate assisting the Coroner Erika Mulligan said the evidence suggested the couple's deaths were a "tragic accident" and Ms Schroder was not intending to commit suicide. Mr Rossington, a paramedic, acted on instinct in attempting to save her. "He has not thought about his safety at all … that is certainly an act of bravery," Ms Mulligan said.

Paul Rossington and Kristen Schroder had been dating for about 10 months. The couple had been on an 11-day cruise of the South Pacific aboard the US-based Carnival Cruise's 12-deck Carnival Spirit liner with Ms Schroder's parents, siblings and their partners. Mr Rossington, a paramedic based in Barraba, 90 kilometres north of Tamworth, and Ms Schroder, a real estate agent, had a "turbulent relationship" and the cruise was seen as a "make or break" holiday, after which they would decide whether to stay together or break-up. Kristen and Paul Rossington. Credit:Facebook In a conversation with her sister, Ms Schroder said she had told Mr Rossington if he left her, she would kill herself, but there were no other indications she was suicidal.

The couple largely kept to themselves and didn't spend much time with Ms Schroder's family. They spent more than $2000 in the ship's onboard casinos, bars, restaurants and shops. Aron Dennis and Roxene Dennis, mother of Kristen Schroder, leave Glebe Coronor's Court. Credit:Christopher Pearce Mr O'Keefe said the couple had been seen arguing at dinner about an hour before they went overboard and Mr Rossington had stormed back to their fifth deck cabin, telling her to "go f--- yourself". Earlier that evening CCTV footage captured them having a "terse conversation" while playing a poker machine. Mr O'Keefe said lip reading experts were unable to determine what was said. The on-board swipe card system recorded Mr Rossington enter their cabin at 8.19pm. He apparently took off his shoes, clothes and underwear and got into bed. When Ms Schroder went back to the cabin she asked a steward to unlock the cabin's mini-bar fridge so she could stow a bottle of wine. The steward said he assumed Mr Rossington was asleep.

The ship docked at Circular Quay about 6.15am on May 9. By 10am the captain was told Mr Rossington and Ms Schroder hadn't disembarked. A sweep of the ship was completed by 11.20am and by 11.30am police were notified. The couple's personal items remained in their cabin, which was declared a crime scene. At 1.50pm crew reviewing the infrared footage saw two bodies go overboard from the proximity of the couple's cabin when the liner was 65 nautical miles due east of Crowdy Head and travelling at 22 nautical miles or 41 kilometres an hour. A search and rescue operation was launched but by this time the couple had been in the water for 16 hours. The inquest heard it was likely Ms Schroder had been rendered unconscious by hitting a railing before she entered the water and didn't surface. Mr O'Keefe said a consultant sea survival expert, Dr Paul Luckin, had opined Mr Rossington was probably seriously injured from jumping from a height of 19.35 metres into a one-metre-high swell in darkness and even if he wasn't, he would not have survived for very long. Mr Dillon addressed the families who attended the inquest, including 14 members of the extended Rossington clan, some who were dressed in Scottish kilts.

"It's a terrible price to pay but perhaps the loss of their lives will result in other people's lives not being lost in some way," Mr Dillon said. Mr Rossington's mother Christeen said she hoped her son's death "will see the introduction of safe cruise ship practices and protocols to reduce the risk of another tragedy occurring". Denise Minakowski, the director of shore-side operations for Carnival Australia told the inquest the company and other cruise line operators were committed to finding an effective "man overboard" alert system. "I think we're very close …. based on some of the trials we've had recently they've been much more successful than what we have had in the past," Ms Minakowski said. She said passengers are given a safety briefing upon embarkation and placards located around the ship instructed passengers to immediately contact crew in case of any emergency.

Mr Dillon told the families he was inclined to recommend passengers be given a specific safety briefing on what to do in the event of a man overboard. Mrs Rossington said her son had been a junior rugby league representative player with an easy-going nature. "Our son died as he lived – an honourable man," she said. Mr Dillon will hand down his findings on June 29.