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Henry Lovell drowned at Chatham Historic Dockyard on day trip with family

A man's body was spotted floating in the water at a dockyard minutes after he split with his family on a day trip.

Henry Lovell, 25, drowned at Chatham Historic Dockyard while on a day out with his family last July, a pre-inquest review heard on Monday.

Mr Lovell, his parents and brother were at the attraction at 11.15am on Saturday, July 14, and agreed to split up ahead of a group tour of the ropery at midday.

Emergency services at Chatham Dockyard. Photo C Lloyd (8201764)
Emergency services at Chatham Dockyard. Photo C Lloyd (8201764)

Soon after he was captured on CCTV moving around the exhibition centre before heading into Museum Square from which point there is no further footage of him.

Minutes after that HMS Gannet tour guide Cliff Vickery spotted a body in the water next to the ship and alerted colleagues who in turn phoned emergency services.

At 11.27am, seven minutes after the initial sighting, 999 were called and police turned up 10 minutes later, with paramedics arriving minutes after that.

The fire service were called when paramedics arrived and got there at 11.52am.

A diver then had to enter the dock to recover Mr Lovell's body.

During the first of two pre-inquest reviews, which set out a schedule of evidence and witnesses ahead of a full hearing, assistant coroner for Mid-Kent and Medway Katrina Hepburn gave interested party status to all three emergency services and the dockyard.

The status, which means there are questions around an authority's handling of an incident, was taken away from mental health provider Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT).

The hearing was told while Mr Lovell, of Morley Drive, Horsmonden, did engage with mental health practitioners in the period leading up to the incident he had been discharged the month before and there were no questions over KMPT's handling of his care.

Written statements from KMPT staff will be read as Mr Lovell's state of mind at the time of his death will still be relevant to proceedings.

A second pre-inquest review will be held in the coming weeks and an inquest lasting between two and four days will happen in the summer.

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