A soldier who was found dead in the River Medway after a night out with friends died as a result of an accident, an inquest has heard.

Charlie Saywell, 25, was discovered at around 10.50am on Tuesday, March 5, when a worker near the river noticed his body in the mud.

Officers, paramedics, the fire service, and HM Coastguard were called to Turks Shipyard in Main Gate Road, Chatham, but the young man was already dead.

An inquest opening previously heard how one of the workers at the boatyard looked over the sea wall and saw Charlie with a rope around his legs and torso.

At a full hearing today (September 10) at Oakwood House in Maidstone, assistant coroner James Dillon described how Charlie had fallen into the river suffering injuries as he did so.

He said: “He may have fallen several metres to a pontoon below and he had been unable to extricate himself from the river and succumbed to injury and exhaustion.”

The cause of death given by pathologist Professor Safa Al-Sarraj was “submersion in mud”.

Toxicology reports also revealed Charlie had some alcohol in his bloodstream. Tests showed he had 136 micrograms in 100 millilitres of blood. The drink-drive limit, for comparison, is 80.

Giving evidence at the inquest, Detective Sergeant Karen Caulfield said: “There is no evidence that any third party was involved and [there were] no suspicious circumstances”.

She presented five different hypotheses on his death, but concluded: “It was a tragic accident.”

DS Caulfield said: “He died from drowning, falling into the water causing significant injuries to his face and ribs.

“The rope around his body suggests he was trying to get out of the water using the rope as an aid.”

In response to this, coroner Mr Dillon said: “He may have fallen quite some way, there is a serious injury to his upper and lower jaw.”

Mr Dillon ruled the death was an accident. He said: “I am satisfied that Charlie entered the water accidentally and fell suffering injuries.”

We will never know what his motivations were…

Charlie’s mum Victoria Brown previously appealed for anyone with information to come forward after it was unclear what had happened in the lead-up to his death.

Police officers confirmed that Charlie had been out in the town with friends the previous evening before taking a taxi to Brompton.

He was then seen walking away from the barracks.

The coroner said: “Charlie decided not to go to his barracks and we will never know what his motivations were.”

Instead, he walked into Chatham town centre sometime between 12.10am and 2.40am.

He is then thought to have walked past Primark in the High Street and visited a fast-food outlet.

The force said he then may have mistakenly got into an unidentified car nearby, where it is believed he was assaulted by the driver and suffered facial injuries.

He was last captured on CCTV at the Gun Wharf Medway Council building at around 1.24am.

Charlie was last seen wearing a dark navy-coloured short-sleeved t-shirt, khaki-coloured cargo trousers and white trainers.

More than £4,000 was raised in the soldier’s memory after a fundraiser was set up by his friend Joe Leishman, surpassing its original goal of £1,000.

The organiser wrote: “For those who did not have the privilege of knowing Charlie, he was a remarkable individual — a true role model in both stature and character.

“As a Sapper in the British Army, serving proudly as part of the Royal Engineers, Charlie exemplified dedication and service to his country. It is with great sadness that we recently lost him at the age of 25.”