'Wonderful dad' found dead in pond after night…

'Wonderful dad' found dead in pond after night relaxing in garden

A 'wonderful dad' was found dead in a pond in his back garden, an inquest heard.

A coroner found that Colin Parr accidentally drowned in the koi carp pond at his home on Whickham Close in Widnes in Cheshire. The inquest heard how his wife Sharon found him lifeless submerged in the water with his foot tangled in a mesh web covering, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Scratch marks showed where he had struggled to pull himself out. The night before his body was found on Saturday, January 29, the 60-year-old had been 'pottering' about and relaxing in his garden as he usually would.

At the Warrington inquest, Heath Westerman, assistant coroner for Cheshire, read evidence from Dr Cheng Li, pathologist, who conducted a post-mortem examination with reference to toxicology test findings from Donna Cameron, toxicologist. Dr Li found the primary cause of death to be drowning, with 'excessive consumption of alcohol' and left ventricular hypertrophy - a type of heart problem - as contributing secondary factors.

A statement from Colin’s wife Sharon said he was an electrical engineer who usually worked away on an oil rig, working two weeks on and two weeks off. She said Colin had completed helicopter survival training as part of the role and underwent regular health checks. Sharon last saw him on January 28 at 4pm and received a message two hours later from him to say he was ordering their daughter a takeaway 'on his card as a treat'.

He said he was 'pottering around the garden, as he enjoyed doing this in his spare time' and he was going to spend the evening in the garden 'relaxing with a glass of wine'. Colin had expressed interest in going for a bike ride the next day either on his motorbike or bicycle.

Sharon found him the next morning, after staying at her daughter's house, submerged in the pond, which was elevated from ground level, and she called the emergency services. She had no concerns of any possible intent from Colin to take his own life and he had been planning his retirement and their life together.

Colin’s family told police he said he 'used to sit outside and drink by himself and sit by the koi carp pond to look at the fish'.

DS Reeves concluded there were 'no suspicious circumstances behind his death and no third party involvement, and in all likelihood his death would have been caused by drowning'. Mr Westerman recorded a conclusion that Colin Joseph Parr, born in Liverpool in 1961 and an engineer by occupation, died due to drowning and his death was 'accidental'.

During his summary, he said: "He died as a result of drowning. There was no evidence of any intent to self harm, therefore my conclusion in the circumstances is one of an accidental death."

The coroner reiterated his condolences to Colin’s family. He said: "I’m really very sorry for your loss and the circumstances of losing Colin. I hope that you remember him for the man he was and not perhaps the manner in which he sadly passed away."

A social media post from Colin’s family in the days following his tragic death said they were 'heartbroken' by the loss of their 'dear and wonderful dad and husband'. It said: "There are no words to say how devastated we all are, but we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for him.

"He has impacted so many lives over the years and we are so grateful to be able to share memories and hear how much everyone cared for him."

Well-wishers, friends and former colleagues, paid tribute to Colin, remembering him as a 'true gentleman', a 'genuine nice bloke', a 'fantastic man' and a “top fella” with a 'smile that everyone remembers'.

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