Rugby player drowned after night out with pals – inquest
A22-YEAR-OLD rugby player with “a lot to live for” drowned after a night out, an inquest has heard.
Brooke Morris was reported missing in 2019 following a night out with friends.
Her body was found in the River Taff near Abercynon five days later.
Miss Morris’ inquest, which took place at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court yesterday, heard a statement from her mother, Karen, who said about her daughter: “We’ve never had any cause to have concern about her mental health.”
The inquest heard that on the evening of Friday, October 11, 2019, Miss Morris had gone to her friend Emma Marsh’s house.
A statement from Ms Marsh, which was read aloud at the hearing, said that she had “slammed her phone down and said ‘ I’m depressed,’” saying that a friend, Jemma Griffiths, had “p***ed her off.”
The inquest heard from Ms Griffiths that “a week or two” before October 11 she had told Miss Morris that “she wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship with her,” but that “there was no malice between me [Jemma] and her”.
On October 11, Miss Morris decided to stay at Ms Marsh’s house while Ms Marsh was out. A statement from Karen Morris, Brooke’s mother, said that she had told her that she didn’t think she would be going out. However, Mrs Morris said she later received a text from her daughter at 10.17pm asking her to leave the door of their house open.
Ms Marsh added that she had received a text from Miss Morris at 11.36pm to say that she was “on [her] way out into town”. The inquest heard that Miss Morris met up with Ms Griffiths, and the two were given a lift from Trelewis into Merthyr Tydfil by a friend, Jason Gravell.
Ms Griffiths said that Miss Morris had an alcoholic drink in a sports bottle when she was picked up and bought a bottle of wine, which she didn’t open and left in Mr Gravell’s van when the two women were dropped off in Merthyr Tydfil.
Ms Griffiths told the inquest: “We only had “two or three” drinks with friends, before walking to the Kirkhouse Nightclub on Dynevor Street.
Ms Griffiths added that she, Miss Morris, and the other friends had a further “two or three Jaegers.” They then went outside for a lift home”.
Mr Gravell then picked up Miss Morris, Ms Griffiths, and another friend, Adam Veale, to drive them to their homes, stopping at McDonald’s.
The inquest heard that the van arrived at Miss Morris’s house at around 2.30-2.35am, dropping her off first, and that she had taken the unopened bottle of wine.
“I knew she didn’t have her key but I knew her mum and dad were in,” Ms Griffiths told the inquest.
A statement from Kyle Ninnis, a neighbour, said that he had woken up to the sound of a vehicle in the street at around 2.30am.
He added that he then saw Miss Morris walk up the street, rather than into her house, before turning onto a path, which was also captured on his CCTV camera.
A statement from Detective Inspector Gareth Davies that was read out to the inquest said that he was made aware that a body had been found in the River Taff near Abercynon on October 16, 2019. Miss Morris’ father later identified it to be her.
A toxicology report by Elizabeth Wasbrough found alcohol in Miss Morris’s blood following a postmortem examination but no other substance was found. The inquest heard that the level of alcohol in Ms Morris’ system was “over three times the legal limit for driving”.
A post-mortem examination carried out by a Dr S James recorded a medical cause of death as drowning.
Rachel Knight, assistant coroner for the South Wales Central area, delivered a narrative conclusion.