A 32-YEAR-OLD Pwllheli man drowned himself when he walked into the sea after drinking a bottle of whisky, an inquest has heard.

A narrative conclusion was recorded that fully-clothed Anthony Gough, a sales assistant, of Sand Street, who lived on a boat, “did kill himself”.

But coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said: “Whether he intended to do so or not I can’t say because of the influence of alcohol.”

The coroner said Mr Gough’s judgement was “clouded by alcohol”.

Nooradien Othman, an angler who was on a beach at Pwllheli last July, told the coroner at Caernarfon: “He walked straight into the surf. He was fully clothed. I could smell alcohol.

“He proceeded to go further into the surf and beyond. I shouted to him and asked if he were okay and he ignored me.

“Alarmingly he began scooping water up and drinking the water. I decided to ring for help.

“I can’t swim and have a disability. I was becoming slightly frantic.”

He said Mr Gough then lay with his face down in the water.

Pathologist Dr Mark Lord said the cause of death was drowning.

Mr Pritchard Jones said: “I am quite satisfied that on the day Mr Gough had consumed a fair quantity of alcohol.

“He had a meal with Anna Hayes on the boat.

“He wanted to go swimming. I suspect there was some disagreement and he stormed off in his clothing.”

Mr Gough walked into the sea without hesitation until the water reached his neck and was seen “drowning himself”, he said.

The coroner said: “The appearances are of suicide. The question is ‘am I looking at a case of suicide or not’?”

The coroner said he was satisfied that Mr Gough walked deliberately in the sea and drowned.

“What concerns me is the amount of alcohol that had been consumed immediately before he went in the sea,” he added.

“Am I satisfied he had clear intention of killing himself or was his judgement clouded by alcohol?”

Mr Pritchard Jones declared: “I find the evidence isn’t sufficient to return the verdict of suicide because of the high standard of evidence that the law requires.”

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