OAP drowned in sea on holiday

A PENSIONER tragically drowned while on holiday in Greece with his partner, an inquest has heard.

Christopher Michael Martin, 70, had travelled to Greece last July with his partner and the pair had been “sailing around the island” on a boat he kept in a dry dock.

The inquest, held in Swansea yesterday, heard Mr Martin had previously lived in Greece and was “familiar with the area”.

Originally from the London area, he had moved back to the UK and his daughter lives in Swansea.

On August 20, 2019, the couple had been out in the boat and had moored in the sea off the Greek island of Lefkada.

The inquest heard they had used the boat’s dinghy to make their way to the mainland of the island and went to a restaurant, where they had “a couple of drinks but nothing excessive”.

After leaving, they returned to the dinghy, which they used to make their way back to the boat.

Assistant coroner for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Aled Gruffydd said: “They used the dinghy as the first step to get on to the boat but Mr Martin’s partner slipped and fell back into the dinghy and bumped him into the sea.

“He helped her back on to the boat but he could not get back into the boat as there was no-one to help him. He thought the best course of action was to swim back to shore.

“He was later found washed up on the shore.”

The inquest heard that after he told her that he was going to swim back to shore, Mr Martin’s partner had reported him missing to the police when there was no sign of him.

Recording an accidental death conclusion, Mr Gruffydd added: “Police in Greece said there were no suspicious circumstances.

“Mr Martin’s death has been given as drowning in the sea and his date of death was August 21, 2019.”