A dad-of-three drowned in a hot tub while on holiday with his family in North Wales, an inquest was told.
Ian William Foden's death was described as nothing short of a "terribly tragic accident". Mr Foden, from Speke, had come to Prestatyn with his wife Donna and other family members in September 2022.
The holiday had been arranged to celebrate Mrs Foden's birthday, and the group had rented out a property on Beverley Drive in the Welsh seaside town.
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At a resumed inquest hearing in Ruthin County Hall, assistant coroner for North Wales Kate Sutherland said that Mr Foden had been to the beach and drunk pints of beer at a local pub on the second day of their North Wales getaway before returning to the rented property on September 24.
It was there he and his wife enjoyed a dip in the hot tub. After about 20 minutes of relaxing together, Mrs Foden got out at about 5pm. Her 56-year-old husband said "I can't" when she asked if he'd also get out with her.
She set off a short while later to get the family some tea from a nearby fish and chip shop as Karen Burns, Mrs Foden's sister, stayed behind and periodically kept an eye on Ian who was still in the hot tub alone at about 5.10pm.
It was said that roughly 20 minutes later, Mr Foden was found face-down in the tub and unresponsive. A neighbour living next to the holiday home helped Ms Burns to pull him out of the tub and emergency services were called for help, Wales Online reports.
Reporting on an inquest can be one of the hardest types of stories a journalist can write.
More often than not, they are emotionally charged proceedings attended by grief-stricken people who are desperate for answers.
Sometimes, inquests can seem quite clinical due to a coroner’s need to remain impartial and level-headed so that they can draw a conclusion from desperately sad events.
As painful as these proceedings are for those who have lost a loved one, the lessons that can be learned from inquests can go a long way to saving others’ lives.
Families are often surprised – and sometimes angry – when they see a reporter in attendance.
Understandably they worry the nature of their loved one’s death will be sensationalised and that a news story will forever tarnish their memory.
Responsible and ethically minded journalists will do what they can to report inquests sensitively, while not shying away from the often upsetting facts.
It is vital that the public don’t forget that inquests are a type of judicial inquiry; they are after all held in a coroner’s court.
The press has a legal right to attend inquests and has a responsibility to report on them as part of their duty to uphold the principle of ‘open justice’.
But in doing so journalists must follow the guidance provided by the Independent Press Standards Organistion and set out in Editors’ Code of Conduct.
It’s a journalist’s duty to make sure the public understands the reasons why someone has died and to make sure their deaths are not kept secret.
An inquest report can also clear up any rumours or suspicion surrounding a person’s death.
But most importantly of all, an inquest report can draw attention to circumstances which may stop further deaths from happening.
Inquests are not criminal courts – there is no prosecution or defence – they are fact-finding tribunals which seek to answer four key questions:
- Who is the person who died?
- Where did they die?
- When did they die?
- How did they die?
They do not apportion blame.
Once these questions are answered a coroner will be able to record a conclusion.
The wider lessons that can be learned from an inquest can have far-reaching consequences – but if journalists do not attend them how can the public be made aware?
The harsh reality is they can’t. Coroners often do not publish the results of an inquest.
Should journalists shy away from attending inquests then an entire arm of the judicial system – and numerous others who need to answer vital questions – is not held to account.
Inquests can often prompt a wider discussion on serious issues, the most recent of these being mental health and suicide.
Editors actively ask and encourage reporters to speak to the family and friends of a person who is the subject of an inquest.
Their contributions help us create a clearer picture of the person who died and also provides the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one.
Often families do not wish to speak to the press and of course that decision has to be respected.
However, as has been seen by many brilliant campaigns run by newspapers and websites up and down the country, the input of a person’s family and friends can make all the difference in helping to save others.
Without the attendance of the press at inquests questions will remain unanswered, debates unargued and lives lost.
Despite their best efforts, the dad-of-three was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6.45pm.
A post mortem was conducted, on the coroner's orders, and the only thing of note was some froth in Mr Foden's lungs. Ms Sutherland told the family that this is a typical indicator that someone who drowned had to have inhaled some water.
Mrs Foden provided a statement to the inquest that said her husband's death has “left a huge hole in the lives of everyone who loved him”. Her husband, an avid Liverpool supporter, had trained as an engineer and had a love of DIY.
Ms Sutherland agreed with the medical cause of death being drowning due to alcohol intoxication. She went on to reach a conclusion that Mr Foden died as a result of a "terribly tragic accident" and offered his family at the inquest her sincere condolences.
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