Late night Broads swim death an accident - coroner

Last summer, Henry Keith was among four men who died in the water in Norfolk in as many days

A man whose childhood friend drowned in The Broads after he dived from a boat after dark said he first thought he was "playing a joke" when he failed to resurface.

Henry Keith, 25, drowned in Wroxham Broad last August.

An inquest into his death earlier heard how Mr Keith and his friend, Sebastian Cator, had spent the day drinking before heading out on Mr Cator's family boat to listen to music.

Area Coroner Yvonne Blake concluded the death was accidental.

Speaking outside Norfolk Coroner's Court, Ed Keith, Mr Keith's brother, described him as "brilliant" and "caring".

"The loss of our precious and adored Henry has created a huge void, not just in our lives, but also in the lives of all the many friends who loved him," he said.

"He had the unique ability to make everyone around him have the best time with his inspiring sense of fun."

Wroxham Broad was temporarily closed to all craft after Mr Keith went missing

In the hours before Mr Keith's death, the court was told how he had spent the day catching up with Mr Cator - his friend of 12 years.

Mr Cator, a captain in the British Army, said the pair had not seen each other for a while and were in a "happy place".

When Mr Keith dived into the water at about 23:30 BST, Mr Cator said he heard a scratching or tapping sound coming from under the boat.

"I thought Henry might be playing a joke on me," he told the court.

"When I couldn't find him that's when I panicked".

When asked by Mr Keith's family why he did not jump in after him, he replied: "I wanted to, I don't know why I didn't. I replay it and perhaps I should've done."

Mr Cator said he searched for Mr Keith for three to five minutes before calling 999.

A major search operation was launched which temporarily closed Wroxham Broad to all craft.

Mr Keith's brother described him as "precious" and "adored"

The court heard how Mr Keith, a former director of the Organic Pig Company in Hoe, near Dereham, was more than twice the drink drive limit when his body was recovered from the water the next day.

"As a family, we want to thank all the services that were involved in the search and recovery," Ed Keith added.

"But in particular, to the volunteer services, Hemsby Lifeboat and Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue, both of whom did not stand down until Henry was recovered."

Last summer, Mr Keith was among four men who died in the water in Norfolk in the space of four days – one just hours after a safety charity urged people to take extra care.