‘RIVER-TRAGEDY TEENAGER MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED BY COLD WATER SHOCK’
AYOUNG farmer found dead after attending the Royal Welsh Show is likely to have died after being suddenly immersed in the cold River Wye, an inquest heard yesterday.
James Corfield, 19, was found in the river on July 30 – nearly a week after he was last seen at the White Horse pub in Builth Wells.
A police inspector told the hearing he believed the teenager may have been trying to get back to the young people’s village at the show, which was about half a mile away. The talented cricketer would have been able to hear the music and see the lights from the campsite and is believed to have entered the water.
Forensic pathologist Richard Jones told the hearing he could not give a cause of death based on medical probabilities. Dr Jones, who works at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, said there was no evidence of assault or drowning.
He told coroner Andrew Barkley Mr Corfield could have died as the result of immersion in cold water after entering a deep pool in the river.
He said: “We are left with the difficult situation that James has been recovered from water and there is no concrete evidence from the post mortem examination that he has drowned.
“One of the main problems is cold water. If you encounter cold water unexpectedly there are some physiological problems which always occur. These problems are very often fatal.”
A toxicology report found Mr Corfield had between 150 and 100 milligrams of alcohol in his blood compared to the legal driving limit of 80 milligrams.
Mr Corfield’s mother Louise told the hearing at Welshpool Magistrates’ Court she did not believe her son would ever have “voluntarily entered” the water.
She said: “It was not James. He would never have entered the water willingly.”
Mr Corfield, of Montgomery Young Farmers’ Club, was last seen on council CCTV footage crossing the Grove car park in Builth Wells at 11.56pm on July 24. The inquest heard that while he was followed by three males there appeared to be no interaction between them as Mr Corfield crossed the car park in the direction of a footpath along the river.
Dyfed-Powys Police Inspector Andrew Pitt, who led the search efforts, said he focused the search on the river because of its proximity to the bar.
Mr Corfield’s body was found submerged in the River Wye by divers on July 30 near to the confluence of the Rivers Wye and Irfon, in 3ft of water around 2,000ft from where he was last seen.
Inspector Pitt said: “I believe the most likely scenario is that he had tried to cross the river where the Wye and Irfon meet, possibly realising that he was on the wrong side (of the river).”
He described the area as having a shallow bank with a “sudden drop” in the riverbed at around five metres away from the bank.
In statements friends described Mr Corfield as drunk but “in control” on the night he went missing.
Sian Roberts , who had seen Mr Corfield at a marquee outside the pub, said: “He seemed merry. He was never normally drunk, so this is the drunkest I have ever seen him.”
Friend Fraser Moss said: “I was with James from the marquee. We were chatting and dancing; he was drunk but in control.”
Elliot Clifton said: “James was there [at the White Horse] on his own, I bought him a drink. He appeared his normal self, he was drunk but he was coherent. I didn’t have any concerns for him.”
Mr Barkley, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, said Mr Corfield’s death was a tragedy not just for family and friends but the “whole community”.
He said it was possible Mr Corfield decided to cross the river, though the family vehemently denied this was a possibility, or that he stumbled and fell.
He said: “I am acutely aware that the family are tormented by the lack of detail this inquest had or could obtain.
“I am satisfied because of the evidence placed before me there is no evidence to suggest that anyone else had a hand in his death. There is no evidence of foul play.”
Mr Barkley added that Mr Corfield “was used to drinking and had been exposed to alcohol in a sensible and measured way from the age of 14”.
The coroner said: “He was not someone who was regularly in the habit of drinking to excess; he was more interested in going home and attending to his responsibilities.”
The inquest heard that the “extremely talented” Mr Corfield had set up his own business selling eggs to local businesses. The teenager had also owned his own sheep and cattle, and had attended the Royal Welsh show every year.
His mother said this was the first time he had stayed away from home and that he had met his parents on the showground on the day he went missing.
She said: “The first thing he did was give me a kiss and said, ‘I’ll be back in the morning. I’ll be there to feed the chickens’.”
Mr Corfield’s family raised the alarm at around 2pm on July 25 when he failed to meet them as arranged.
A family statement read after the inquest said: “We are absolutely devastated and shattered by the loss of James, because he is a truly special, gifted person and touched so many people’s lives in his 19 years.
“He was a bright shining light and smiled all the time, and it’s because of him so many people dropped all to come and search for him.
“James was a fantastic son and brilliant brother, a talented sportsman and our family is missing him so very much.”