Henry Keith, 25, who attended a £61,500-a-year Harrow School, drowned in the Norfolk Broads on August 16 last year after a late-night dip with an old school friend, a coroner concluded
A former Harrow schoolboy tragically died after diving from a boat into water following a drinking session.
Henry Keith, 25, was a strong swimmer but sadly drowned in the Norfolk Broads on August 16 last year after a late-night dip with an old school friend. Mr Keith, who attended £61,500-a-year Harrow School in north-west London, may have banged his head while going into the water at Wroxham Broad at around 11.30pm, a coroner concluded.
An inquest into his death heard how Mr Keith and his friend Sebastian Cator spent the day together shooting, and had begun drinking at around 3.30pm at the Swan Inn pub in Horning before heading to Mr Cator’s family home nearby.
They headed out on Mr Cator’s boat to listen to music and had consumed five bottles of Becks lager each, as well as a bottle of rose and a bottle of white wine at dinner, then vodka and ginger beers on the boat. A post-mortem examination found Mr Keith had 185mgs of alcohol per 100ml of blood , more than twice the legal limit to drive.
Mr Keith decided to undress and enter the water headfirst but failed to resurface. Mr Cator said: “My immediate reaction was that he was trying to play a prank on me. I walked around either edge of the boat and could not find him. That was when I realised he was not playing a joke and began to panic.”
Mr Cator called emergency services after his friend failed to resurface, prompting a large multi-agency search. Tragically, Mr Keith’s body was recovered from the water in an “upright position” just beneath the surface two days later on August 18.
The court heard how Mr Cator spoke of his regret of the events leading up to the drowning, as Mr Keith’s brother Edward asked why he didn’t jump in the water to look for him.
Mr Cater said: “I wanted to and I do not know why I did not. Maybe I should have done and I can only apologise for that.” Norfolk area coroner Yvonne Blake recorded a conclusion that the tragic death was an accident.
However, she admitted questions remained about how he drowned when he was a strong swimmer and physically fit. “He could have knocked his head on something under the water, which could have stunned him,” Blake said.
Mr Keith’s family issued a hearbreaking tribute after the inquest, saying: “The loss of our precious Henry has created a huge void for our family and all the many friends who loved him dear. He was a caring and cheerful young man with a bright future ahead of him.”
The family also praised the emergency services involved in the search for him, including Hemsby lifeboat and Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue. They added: “These two organisations did not rest for a moment until he was found.”
