Man, 85, died while wading in sea

A FORMER councillor died at a Gwynedd beach four days after his 85th birthday after becoming “immersed in water”, an inquest heard.

Charles James Hutchings, a retired councillor for Edgbaston in Birmingham, was swimming near the old lifeboat station in Bwlchtocyn while holidaying in Abersoch with his friend Cathy Alsop on July 19, 2021.

An inquest held in Caernarfon heard how Mr Hutchings was wading in the sea up to his knees.

In a statement, Ms Alsop said she heard him call out and she saw he was “immersed in the water”.

Mr Hutchings was pulled from the sea by a passerby.

Emergency services were called but Mr Hutchings was pronounced dead at the scene.

A postmortem showed he had inhaled water.

Delivering a narrative conclusion, acting senior coroner Katie Sutherland said: “Mr Hutchings was paddling in the sea up to his knees. He came to be immersed in the water.

“Despite resuscitation attempts Mr Hutchings was pronounced dead at the scene.

“It cannot be determined how or why he came to be face down in the water.”