A student from Wigan was tragically found dead at the foot of an aqueduct in North Wales, an inquest has heard.
Matthew Lavin, 23, was sadly found at the base of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, near Llangollen, less than ten miles south-east of Wrexham, after two youngsters spotted a sports bottle on the path as they walked over the 200-feet high structure over the River Dee, spotting a man's body on the riverbank below.
They alerted a passer-by who called the police, and the student, of Cherrybrook Drive in Winstanley, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene that evening. An inquest into the 23-year-old's death was officially opened at County Hall in Ruthin today, September 20, by senior coroner for North Wales East and Central John Gittins.
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The hearing heard that Mr Lavin was tragically found dead last Wednesday, September 14, and was identified at the scene by police officers using his driving licence.
The court heard that the provisional cause of death given by pathologist Dr Mohammad Mehdi following a post-mortem examination was multiple injuries, including a fractured spine, consistent with a fall from the aqueduct. The inquest was adjourned for a full hearing, with a date set to be fixed.
The aqueduct, built by Thomas Telford between 1795 and 1805 to carry the Ellesmere canal, is the longest in Britain and the highest in the world. In 2009 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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