Inquest finds 'free spirit' Charlie Allan, 21, died when he fell into river after night out in Hull

A mother paid tribute to her "free spirit and happy-go-lucky" son who died after falling into the River Hull from a bridge after a night out with friends.
Charlie AllanCharlie Allan
Charlie Allan

An inquest concluded that the death of Charlie Allan, 21, whose body was found three weeks later, was accidental.

CCTV caught a young man matching his description trying to climb railings near Wilmington Bridge in Hull in the early hours of January 19, lose his footing and hit his head before falling into the bitterly cold water.

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His body was spotted near North Bridge on February 11 by an engineer, who followed it downstream to Corporation Pier, and stood by until the coastguard arrived.

His mother Julie Brook said in a statement that her son was a “very bright” lad who initially wanted to be a chef and worked for her ex-husband at a pub he owns in Hull.

She said last time they met for lunch in “true Charlie style” he didn’t have enough to pay, but gave her £20 and she paid the rest “which I didn’t mind because we had such a lovely time”.

She added: "He was very much of a free spirit and very happy-go-lucky".

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He met up with friends on January 18 at Spiders nightclub, but they went their separate ways at the end of the night with Charlie last seen standing by a burger van in good spirits.

After his disappearance, inquiries carried out using CCTV and mobile phone data plotted his movements along Wincolmlee, towards Aire Street.

A young man was seen approaching the road block access near the former railway bridge, which is used by pedestrians and cyclists, at 3.19am, walk away and then return four minutes later.

“When he attempted to climb along railings blocking his way along the bridge, he was seen to lose his footing, strike his head on the parapet before falling into the river,” the court heard.

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The blow was likely to have caused “some degree of concussion or loss of consciousness”.

Toxicology tests showed a moderate amount of alcohol and a “low” level of the club drug ketamine.

Coroner Prof Paul Marks said he accepted evidence that a combination of the two were “likely to have caused significant effects on motor and cognitive functions and an increased likelihood of risk-taking behaviour”.

He concluded: "This is an accidental death on any view of the facts.

"The conclusion of this court is that Charlie died as a result of an accident."

The inquest was held without Charlie's family, friends or witnesses, being present because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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