Police officer drowned when he fell into harbour after night out, inquest hears

Rod Minchin, Press Association

A police officer drowned when he fell into a harbour after going missing during a night out in a city centre, an inquest heard.

Pc Rehaan Akhtar, 28, had been drinking with friends in Bristol and was last seen in the early hours of November 23 last year.

Avon Coroner’s Court heard Mr Akhtar did not return to the youth hostel where he was staying and was reported missing.

His body was recovered by divers from Bristol harbourside on the morning of November 24.

Corey Griffiths, one of the group of friends out with Mr Akhtar that evening, said they had started drinking in the afternoon and carried on until after midnight.

In a written statement he said they all drunk around eight pints of lager, two cocktails and a Jagerbomb during visits to several pubs and bars in Bristol.

At the end of the evening, Mr Griffiths said that while three of their friends remained out to get some food, he and Mr Akhtar returned to where they were staying.

“I walked over the bridge with Rehaan and I remember talking and being on my phone,” he said.

“I can’t remember what I was doing on my phone. Then I next recall being inside the hostel trying to get the key for the room as we only had one key between the three of us.

“I thought in the morning that Rehaan had been with me when I checked in, but clearly that wasn’t correct.

“In terms of how Rehaan was presenting, we had all been drinking all day, and I was the same.

“Rehaan was drunk but there was not a particular moment I noticed him suddenly become more drunk or anything like that.

“He appeared the same as the rest of us.”

A post-mortem examination found Mr Akhtar had drowned.

Toxicology tests show that he had a blood alcohol reading of 260mg per 100ml of blood – meaning he was the equivalent of three times the drink-drive limit.

Pathologist Dr Karin Denton said the level of alcohol Mr Akhtar had consumed would have likely affected his speech and ability to walk.

“It is therefore likely that intoxication contributed to the fall into the water of the harbour,” she said in her report.

“The water is very cold at that time of year.”

A police investigation found no third party involvement in his death.

Officers had recovered CCTV evidence showing someone matching the description of Mr Akhtar “fall into the river from the jetty dock in front of the Arnolfini (arts centre)”.

Dr Peter Harrowing, area coroner for Avon, recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

“I’ve heard evidence that he was in Bristol with friends, visited various establishments and was consuming alcohol for a number of hours that day,” the coroner said.

“He went to return to his accommodation, but for some reason – perhaps becoming disorientated – he then sadly falls into the water drowning.”

Water safety

The coroner did not make a prevention of future deaths report after hearing evidence from the Bristol harbour master about ongoing improvements to water safety.

David Lockwood told the court that the harbour was regularly inspected and there had been improvements to signage, rescue equipment and re-routing a cycle path.

“A blanket solution, for example fencing the whole estate, is not recommended as an acceptable or practical control method,” he said.

“Work is ongoing to provide and maintain aids to those who fall into the water, such as grab chains and ladders.

“The city remains committed to doing everything reasonably practicable to enhance safety, informed by evidence, partnership working and findings and formal investigations when available.”

Mr Akhtar, from Llanelli, was a constable with South Wales Police. He first joined the force as a police community support officer (PCSO).

He was a PCSO in Cardiff from October 2021 and became a Pc based in Swansea in September 2023.

Disappointing

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Akhtar’s sisters, Meena and Rabia Najmi, said they did not want another family to suffer the same tragedy.

“It is quite disappointing to hear that there’s going to be no kind of drastic safety measures put in place to prevent it happening in future,” Meena Najmi said.

“There’s nothing to say it’s not going to happen again.

“We are just confused as to how many more times it’s got to happen before safety measures are put in place.

“At Swansea Marina there was a lot of deaths with people falling into the water.

“It’s quite a busy area with a lot of pubs, bars and clubs.

“Once the railings were introduced it stopped. We have not had that kind of issue there since and I think if Bristol were to take that on board, it could prevent this happening in future.”

She added: “We will continue to push, we will continue to fight, to try and push for some safety measures because we don’t want any other families to have to go through what we’ve been through.

“It could have been avoided if the right safety measures were in place, in our opinion.”