THE BODY of a young man was found underneath Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the opening of an inquest heard today (September 20).
Matthew John Lavin, of Cherrybrook Drive, Wigan, Greater Manchester, was found dead at the location on the evening of September 14.
At County Hall in Ruthin on Tuesday, inquest proceedings were opened into the 23-year-old student’s death.
The brief hearing was told that at 7.42pm on September 14, police received a call from a group of boys who had seen the body while walking over the aqueduct.
They had seen a water bottle on the path on the aqueduct, and looked over the side where they saw the body – later identified as Mr Lavin.
Emergency services attended the scene, whereby Mr Lavin was formally pronounced dead at 9.30pm.
The inquest opening was told that a post-mortem examination found that Mr Lavin had suffered multiple serious injuries, including a fractured spine – likely arising from a fall from the aqueduct.
A full inquest has been adjourned until a later date.