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More on KentOnline
A pensioner drowned after slipping into shallow water between his boat and the wall of a quay in Faversham, an inquest has heard.
The body of Terence Boyle lay undiscovered for hours following the tragedy, which was caught on CCTV.
The 74-year-old had been living on his boat, DB Emanuel, in Standard Quay at the time of the accident on June 13 this year.
An inquest into his death heard he had called his son, Dominic, earlier that day, but he did not pick up.
After returning the call and receiving no answer, Dominic went to the boat and completed some tasks before realising his father was still not back.
The police were alerted at about 10pm by Mr Boyle’s daughter, Gabrielle, and started a search for him.
His body was found later that night between the boat and the quayside after the tide in the Creek went out.
"The circumstances of this incident are tragic" Katrina Hepburn
CCTV captured Mr Boyle in the moments leading up to his death, including his fall into the water.
It is believed the water would have been shallow as the tide was almost completely out at the time he slipped.
The tide then came in before his son arrived, obscuring his body.
The inquest heard the pensioner had been having issues with mobility due to a bad knee and ankle, and it is believed this may have contributed to his fall.
The cause of his death was recorded as drowning after a post-mortem examination found water in his lungs and mud in his airways.
Assistant coroner Katrina Hepburn said: “After reviewing the CCTV I am confident in the evidence presented to record Mr Boyle’s death as an accident.
"The circumstances of this incident are tragic, and I would like to pass my sympathies on to his family.”
