Open verdict on Jonathan Marques

Published 27 Oct 2009 15:54 0 Comments

AN INQUEST into the death of tragic Reading schoolboy Jonathan Marques has recorded an open verdict.

The 15-year-old Blessed Hugh Faringdon pupil, originally from Goa, died in January this year.

His body was found in the Kennet and Avon Canal near Fobney Lock 20 days after he had been reported missing.

An inquest at Reading Civic Centre this afternoon (Tuesday) heard that Jonathan longed to go back to Goa and was struggling with schoolwork.

On the day he went missing, January 6, many waterways in the Reading area were frozen over because of a cold snap.

Berkshire Coroner Peter Bedford said: "He was on a short cut to school which brought him close to the canal. Seeing other people sliding on the ice, he was in no rush to get to school, the attraction of going on the ice as other boys did seems to be the logical explanation as to why he might have been on the water.

"The difficulty I have is that no-one saw how Jonathan went into the water and I can only go by the evidence that's available to me. We do not know how it is that Jonathan met his death."

For more see Thursday's Reading Chronicle.

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