THE inquest into the tragic drowning of teenage carp angler Jack Morrisson revealed it will never be known why he was in the water.
Returning a conclusion of death by misadventure, North West Kent coroner Roger Hatch said: “Unfortunately we shall never know how it was that Jack ended up in the fishing lake.”
The 16-year-old was found at Dartford DAPS’s Sutton-at-Hone two days after he fell in, with a theory he slipped in as he was returning a pike he caught, before drowning.
The schoolboy, who lived with his mum Janine in Fawkham, often fished alone overnight.
Unable to get out of water
Speaking at the hearing, detective sergeant Steve Smith said: “He had entered the water either intentionally as part of his fishing or accidentally fell in and was unable to get out.”
Smith said Jack, who was taught to fish by his dad as a youngster, was well prepared for spending the night at the lake and had good equipment.
There were no injuries on Jack’s body and no sign he had been involved in a struggle with another person.
CCTV at the lake’s car park did not show anyone entering the park after Jack was last seen alive until emergency services arrived and no evidence to suggest Jack would have taken his own life.
Family dispute – and devastation
During the inquest Smith revealed that the last time Jack and his father John had seen one another, on December 3, it had ended in a fight and John had been arrested on suspicion of assault.
As part of his bail conditions the father had been ordered not to contact his son and the pair hadn’t spoken since.
After his death, Jack’s devastated family released a statement that said: “Jack, you were like a beautiful angel that we were sent. We have been so lucky to have you and you were amazing. Although our hearts are broken we want to celebrate your life that we were so blessed to be a part of.”
A fundraising page set up by DDAPS to raise £7,000 for Jack’s funeral reached £18,000 before being shut.
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