Mystery over death of former UK Navy diver in Bahrain

Manama : Mystery shrouds the drowning of a professional British diver in a swimming pool here earlier this year, following a report about the incident appeared in the British press that the case has several loose ends.

Christopher Severn, 32, was reportedly found dead in a swimming pool at his friend’s villa in Saar village on February 25.

According to the report published by Devon Live, a news website based in Severn’s hometown, the deceased was a former British Navy diver who was believed to be drunk on the night he died.

“It’s an unusual situation. I can’t be certain how he came to drown,” the report quoted a local coroner there.

The report mentioned that the deceased’s blood alcohol level was not analysed by the Bahraini police as such procedures are only done if police deem a death to be suspicious.

According to the people accompanying Severn on the night of the mishap, he was drunk on that night and slept before everyone else went to bed. They said that they were shocked to find his body inside the swimming pool on the next day.

However, the news website quoted the man’s girlfriend in its report stating that “he never passed out before” and that “he was an excellent swimmer and the pool wasn’t deep”. The report also mentioned that “lots of food and alcohol were consumed on the night of the mishap”.

Raising more questions on the case, the report included the testimonies of the people accompanying the deceased that night stating that no indicators of him being drinking alone at the time of the incident were found in the surroundings of the pool, such as glasses or alcohol.

The authorities here didn’t reveal any further information on the case.