Jack Morrison Dartford fishing lake death 'misadventure'

The death of a teenage angler who drowned in a lake in Kent was due to misadventure, a coroner has said.

Jack Morrison, 16, died after going fishing overnight at privately-owned lakes at Sutton at Hone, near Dartford.

Rescue teams found his body on 17 December after a large-scale search.

An inquest in Maidstone heard it was thought he entered the water either voluntarily or by accident but he then could not get out.

The hearing was told the student, from Fawkham, was a "well-prepared and knowledgeable" angler.

The alert came after another angler saw his empty tent and rods half in the lake.

Det Sgt Steve Smith told the hearing the teenager's body was recovered from 7ft (2m) of water.

He said before Jack went fishing, he had had a row over the borrowing of some tools with his father, who was arrested on suspicion of assault and bailed.

However, the police officer said there was no evidence to suggest Jack, who lived with his mother, was at risk of harm from his father, or anyone else.

"My inquiries point to Jack entering the water voluntarily or by accident, and him then being unable to get out of the water," he said.

Senior north west Kent coroner Roger Hatch said: "Unfortunately, we shall never know how it was that Jack ended up in the fishing lake from which he sadly drowned."