TEENAGER FELL INTO PARK LAKE ON WAY HOME FROM A PARTY
Mum pays tribute to ‘funny and sociable’ Jack at his inquest
TEENAGER Jack Crooke died when he fell into a lake while walking home from a party.
The 17-year-old was spotted in the water at Longton Park by a dog walker on December 27, the morning after meeting with friends at a house in Dresden. Emergency services were called but Jack had already died.
An inquest heard Staffordshire Police investigated the tragedy, but found nothing suspicious.
Jack, right, a former Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy pupil, had spent Boxing Day with his parents and two younger brothers at their home in Blurton, before going out at about 7.30pm.
Detective Sergeant Hilary Boxer, who oversaw the investigation, told the inquest Jack met a group of young people at a house in Wise Street.
She said: “We have spoken to everyone that attended the party. Witnesses told us Jack arrived there at 8.30pm. While he was there, he drank a considerable amount of alcohol. He was described as being drunk.
“A friend offered to walk Jack home. He declined and set off alone on foot. Using CCTV we were able to identify the route Jack took from the property.
“The last CCTV sighting was at 10.26pm when he was seen heading towards the park gate. It’s clear from the footage that he was unsteady on his feet.”
DS Boxer said detectives had considered various theories about what happened to Jack then, including the possibility he may have been the victim of a robbery or assault, but there was no evidence of such an event. She said Jack’s phone and coat were never found, but added there was nothing to suggest this was ‘a contributory factor to his death’.
DS Boxer said: “It was clear Jack was intoxicated through alcohol. That affected his co-ordination and cognitive ability.
“We also know his boots didn’t appear to be fastened properly. Both of these things could have contributed to him falling over, probably more than once, and eventually into the lake where he was unable to get out due to his intoxication.
“There is no evidence of any third party involvement or any criminality being involved in this case.”
DS Boxer told the hearing speculation on social media about the circumstances of Jack’s death had led police to take action.
“Officers had to give the participants of that conversation some advice about their conduct in starting rumours,” she said. “These were found to be incorrect and it was very distressing for anyone who was close to Jack to hear about.”
The cause of Jack’s death was recorded as sudden unexplained death in adolescence, caused by immersion in cold water. This was caused by the fall into the lake which, in turn, was contributed to by alcohol intoxication.
In a statement, Jack’s mother Emily Scott described her son as ‘sociable, funny and polite’. The inquest heard he was due to start a course with the Prince’s Trust in January.
Recording a narrative conclusion, coroner Emma Serrano said: “While the evidence leads me to conclude it is more likely than not that Jack’s death was an accident, it was also contributed to by the fact he had some alcohol and the cold weather, meaning he was immersed in cold water.”