Death of soldier in river was an accident – ​​coroner

A soldier whose body was found in a river in Kent died as a result of an accident after falling several metres, a coroner has ruled.

Charlie Saywell, 25, was discovered in the River Medway near Main Gate Road in Chatham on March 5.

Kent Police said he may have accidentally gotten into a stranger's car after a night out with friends and suffered facial injuries as a result of the driver's attack.

Det. Sgt. Karen Caulfield said at the inquest that there was no evidence that any third party was involved in the death and that there were no suspicious circumstances.

At the end of the inquest in Maidstone on Tuesday, deputy coroner James Dillon said Mr Saywell may have fallen several metres onto a pontoon.

He was unable to pull himself out of the river and succumbed to his injuries and exhaustion, the coroner added.

The hearing heard that Mr Saywell had consumed a “fair amount” of alcohol during his night-time outing and may have attempted to use a rope tied around his body in a “complex” contraption as a safety aid.

The coroner said: “It seems to me probable that he fell from the wall onto the pontoon, sustained further injuries and was in distress and now found himself in the dark and in the river.”

He appeared to have used the rope to “build some sort of harness” and attempted to climb to safety, but succumbed to “various problems, including the temperature and injuries sustained in the fall,” the coroner said.

“Injuries and suffering”

When Mr Saywell's friends noticed that he was unsteady on his feet, they put him in a taxi to take him back to Brompton Barracks.

He arrived safely shortly after midnight, but set out on foot from the barracks toward Chatham town center and spoke to his girlfriend several times via video call in the early hours of the morning.

She described him as “very drunk,” the court heard.

The court heard that Mr Saywell, a pioneer, sustained injuries when he got into a stranger's car outside a pizzeria.

The driver attempted to drag him out of the vehicle, but Mr. Saywell hesitated and the driver was seen kicking and possibly hitting him.

According to the investigation, he suffered a broken tooth and facial injuries in front of the pizzeria, but further injuries are said to have occurred later.

How Mr. Saywell then moved was unclear, but he ended up in the shipyard, where his injured body was later found by a passerby face down in the mud of the Turks Shipyard.

Det. Sgt. Caulfield said no further action would be taken against the suspect, who claimed he acted in self-defense and was threatened.

An army spokesman said: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Pioneer Charlie Saywell at this sad and difficult time.”

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