Amsterdam party boat death man 'jumped in water as prank'

Neil Stewart's body was recovered two weeks after he fell into the canal

A man who drowned in a Dutch canal after falling from a party boat might have jumped in the water as a prank, an inquest heard.

Neil Stewart, 30, from Newcastle, died in the Noordzeekanaal, near Amsterdam, in November 2017.

Newcastle coroner Karen Dilks heard the father of two had taken cocaine and cannabis before he boarded the vessel.

In a statement, witness Kirsty Green said she saw Mr Stewart "deliberately jump" as he was "smiling or laughing".

She said: "He was stood alone, smoking, and the next thing I saw was him in the air. It looked like it was slow motion, I saw him smiling or laughing.

"I then panicked and called security."

She said she thought it was a "silly prank" because Mr Stewart seemed to be laughing in the water.

The inquest heard Mr Stewart, a wind farm rigger, had been attending the Bounce Til I Die dance event on the boat with friends.

It is believed between 80 and 100 people were on the vessel at the time.

Mr Stewart's fiancée, Chelsea Dixon, was asked if he ever expressed an intention to harm himself, to which she replied: "Absolutely not.

"Neil told me that morning it was the happiest time of his life," she said.

"He always said 30 was going to be his year."

The boat was in the Noordzeekanaal - a shipping route which links Amsterdam with the North Sea

Mr Stewart's colleague Paul Armes told the inquest someone told him his friend had climbed three steps before jumping in.

He said he saw an emergency safety boat on the party vessel but the crew said it was not safe to deploy it.

Another boat pulled alongside and lit up the water, and Mr Armes said he could see Mr Stewart in the canal for approximately 10 minutes.

Mr Armes wept as he recalled how he wanted to swim across to his friend with a life belt, adding: "I just wanted to help him."

Mr Stewart's body was recovered two weeks later.

Post-mortem toxicology tests revealed he had taken cocaine during the day, while Ms Dixon, who had arranged the surprise weekend, said he had had a "few puffs of a joint" and eaten some "space cake" containing cannabis at a cafe.

The party boat began in Amsterdam

While on a smoking deck on the boat, Mr Stewart was said to have assaulted someone, and a security guard cleared the area and sat him down until he was calm, Ms Dixon said.

When she went to get a chair to sit with her partner he vanished.

When Ms Dixon was asked if she had seen him get into the water, she said no, adding: "If there was anything else I would wish for in my life, it would be to have an answer to that question."

Ms Dixon said party-goers had not been given safety guidance while on the boat but another guest, who said she saw Mr Stewart punch her friend, said advice had been issued.

The inquest continues.