Mystery remains over the death of 'kind, generous' Jacob, 19, who drowned in river

HE HAD BEEN ON A NIGHT OUT WITH FRIENDS BUT NO-ONE KNOWS HOW HE ENDED UP IN WATER

- By RUCSANDRA MOLDOVEANU

A TEENAGER was drunk when he went into a river and drowned after a night out.

Jacob Crompton was 19 when he went on a night out with his friends in Retford on the evening of March 23-24, 2024, but failed to return home.

An inquest into his death held by coroner Nathanael Hartley at Nottingham Coroner’s Court on Monday, was told that Jacob and his friends went to around six pubs and bars and that they used to go out every Tuesday and on most Fridays and Saturdays.

Leo Hoggard, one of Jacob's closest friends, gave evidence to the inquest and explained that the group of friends would have “quite a bit to drink” on Fridays and Saturdays.

He told Mr Hartley: “We would try to match each other because we were buying rounds, so if I had 10, he would've had 10 too.

“It was a bog-standard night out. He seemed himself.

“There was nothing different about him. He was just Jacob. He was probably one of the happiest people I have known.”

Leo went on to say that his friend had been drinking quite heavily and that they had been kicked out of one of the venues they visited.

Their last stop was Secrets, a now-closed cocktail bar on Churchgate, with Leo explaining that, by this point, it was just him and Jacob.

The pair then “thought we'd had plenty to drink so just called it a night” when they started walking towards nearby Kings Park.

Leo told the inquest that they “just wandered around” before sitting down on the banks of the River Idle, which goes through the park, to chat at around midnight. He said he could not remember if the river banks were muddy due to a lack of lighting where they sat, nor could he remember what they talked about or for how long.

Leo said: “When I went to leave he was still sat on the top of the bank. I left because I was cold and just wanted to go home.