A student who was found dead in a pond in Epping Forest had disengaged from his university course and from friends, and had been to visit a sex worker on the night he left his home, an inquest heard.
Richard Okorogheye was found in a pond in the woodland on April 5 2021, two weeks after he went missing from his home in Ladbroke Grove, west London.
The 19-year-old, who had sickle cell anaemia, left the block of flats where he lived at 8.34pm on March 22, 2021 while his mother was on a night shift as a nurse, the hearing in Chelmsford was told.
Reading from a report, prepared by the Met Police for the inquest, Essex area coroner Sean Horstead said Mr Okorogheye boarded a number 23 bus south from Ladbroke Grove.
He alighted and went to a shop, Queensway Food and Wine, where he bought a bottle of rum, a bottle of wine and cigarettes at 9.10pm, Mr Horstead said.
The student then went to the address of a female sex worker, referred to as witness A, and he paid £300 for two one-hour sessions.
The woman, who police spoke to, said that Mr Okorogheye did not have full sex but had a massage and was drinking at the premises.
Witness A said the student was “in good spirits” and said he would call his mother while in a minicab on the way home, the coroner said.
Mr Okorogheye left the address at 11.36pm and took a minicab to Loughton in Essex, where he was dropped near the Victoria Tavern pub.
Driver Mohammed Halas said his passenger “appeared well, didn’t engage in conversation, just sat in the back of the car listening to something on his earphones”, the coroner said.
Mr Halas said the journey took around one hour and he dropped off his fare at 12.29am.
He said his passenger, who did not smell of alcohol, paid £45.55 for the journey and tipped an additional £8.20.
It’s very difficult to understand why he went to Wake Valley Pond
He said Mr Okorogheye was alone when he was picked up and he did not see anyone where he was dropped off.
Detective chief inspector Nicola Beecher, of the Met Police, said it was just under two miles from where Mr Okorogheye was dropped off to Wake Valley Pond where his body was found by a member of the public.
His exact route is unknown, but she believes he walked along one of several paths which lead into the forest.
She said the pond was the size of two or three football pitches.
No suicide note had been found, the officer said.
Ms Beecher said Mr Okorogheye’s phone was recovered from the pond but police have been unable to crack the passcode to view its contents.
Mr Okorogheye was “struggling” with his course at Oxford Brookes University but his computer was analysed and there were “no searches that indicated the intention of suicide”, the coroner said.
The inquest was earlier told that his cause of death was “consistent with drowning”, and that he had been unable to swim and disliked water.
Ms Beecher said she did not believe it was an accident but that she could not rule it out, adding: “There are absolutely no marks or injuries to indicate he’s slipped and hurt his legs or arms to try to protect himself as he’s fallen.”
She said there was no fencing between the path around the pond and the water.
“It’s very difficult to understand why he went to Wake Valley Pond,” said Ms Beecher.
She continued: “When I look at the investigation as a whole we know there were concerns around Richard’s mental health, he was deteriorating, he had disengaged from his university, disengaged from friends, social media accounts had been stopped.
“We know he wasn’t taking care of himself as much as he had been.
“He spent the vast majority of his time at home.
“We know him leaving home was completely out of character, as were his actions, visiting witness A for example.”
Mr Okorogheye, who was referred to during the inquest as Richard Christian at the request of family members who attended, was studying computer science and cyber security.
Ms Beecher said he had been contacted “about 12 times by email and phone” by Oxford Brookes University “but there was never a reply”.
The inquest continues.
