Cause of death of student Richard Okorogheye who was found dead in Epping Forest after bungled missing person search by police was ‘consistent with drowning’, inquest hears
- 19-year-old was found two weeks after he went missing from Ladbroke Grove
The cause of death of a student who was found in Epping Forest after a bungled missing person probe was ‘consistent with drowning’, an inquest has heard.
Richard Okorogheye, 19, was found in a pond in the woodland on April 5 2021, two weeks after he went missing from his home in Ladbroke Grove, west London.
Mr Okorogheye had sickle cell anaemia and left home on the evening of March 22 without his medication. His mother Evidence Joel contacted police the following day, but her son was not officially recorded as missing until 8am on March 24.
Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) subsequently launched an investigation and said the force should apologise to his family after officers provided an ‘unacceptable level of service’ to his mother.
It added it found the performance of three police officers and three call handlers fell below the standard expected, but their actions did not meet the threshold for disciplinary action.
Richard Okorogheye (pictured), 19, died by drowning, an inquest into his death has heard
Mr Okorogheye has not been seen by his family since 22 March when he left their home in the Ladbroke Grove area of west London
His mother Evidence Joel (pictured) contacted police the day after her son was last seen, but he was not officially recorded as missing until 8am on March 24
The IOPC probe found that Mr Okorogheye should have been classed as a missing person earlier and he was defined as low risk for too long, while a call handler inaccurately recorded his medical condition as anaemia rather than sickle cell anaemia on the initial police report.
However, evidence did not show that the delay in upgrading Mr Okorogheye’s risk level was due to his or Ms Joel’s race, it added.
Ms Joel also claimed a police officer made a racist comment but the watchdog said that, while it could be considered ‘unprofessional’, it could not conclude the remark was ‘influenced by any bias regarding Richard’s ethnicity’.
Mr Okorogheye’s cause of death was given as ‘consistent with drowning’ by consultant forensic pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift during the first day of an inquest held at Essex Coroner’s Court in Chelmsford, on Monday.
Dr Swift had been informed by Mr Okorogheye’s family that he had been unable to swim and disliked water.
Area coroner Sean Horstead decided the inquest would not look into the wider circumstances surrounding Mr Okorogheye’s death, as his provisional view was that Mr Okorogheye had died by the time his mother first reported him missing to the police.
Mr Okorogheye, who was a student at Oxford Brookes University, had been isolating during the coronavirus pandemic and left home only to go to hospital to receive blood transfusions for his sickle cell disorder.
A map showing the movements of missing Richard Okorogheye, 19, last seen on CCTV, Loughton, Essex, March 23
Police divers were deployed to search ponds in the woodland in north-east London. April 1
Police teams prepare to search an area in Epping Forest on horseback on April 1
Metropolitan Police officers at the scene at the Wake Valley pond car park in Epping Forest. April 6
A pen portrait written by Ms Joel was read out by Mr Okorogheye’s aunt Toyin Ideozu, in which he was described as ‘a respectful, hardworking and ambitious boy’.
She said: ‘Richard was a student at Oxford Brookes University where he was studying computer science and cyber security.
‘He had enrolled at university in October 2020, between the first and second covid lockdowns. Richard always wanted to make me proud by going to university to ensure that he had the education and skills to enjoy a good standard of life as an adult.
‘Richard had a bright future ahead of him. He was certain that he would be successful.
‘I remember him saying ‘I will make it, mummy, and I will look after you and take care of you’.
‘Richard had ambitions to move to America and become a successful businessman.
‘Even while studying, Richard had already taken the initial steps to set up his two businesses – one was a clothing line and the other involved selling electronic products and books to companies.
‘Richard hoped to dedicate more time to his businesses when he graduated from university.
‘Richard was a kind and gentle soul.
‘He would say to me ‘Mum, you’re always looking out for me, but are you OK?’. Only a few weeks before he disappeared, Richard came up to me in the kitchen and said, ‘Mum, I really appreciate you, you do so much for me’.
‘The last time I saw Richard, I was leaving our home to do a night shift. As I was leaving, I said to Richard ‘I love you’, Richard said to me ‘Mummy, I love you too, take care and we will talk later’.
On March 22, Mr Okorogheye was seen boarding the 23 bus southbound in Ladbroke Grove at 8.44pm. CCTV shows he was wearing all black and a black satchel bag with white Adidas logo
Police search teams search a pond in Epping Forest. A confirmed sighting of him in Loughton, Essex had police searching Epping Forest on April 1
‘Richard was, and always will be, my everything, my baby. He is missed every day.’
Ms Joel said her son did not resent having to shield during the pandemic, and asked by Mr Horstead if he had any poor history of mental health, she replied ‘no, never’.
Mr Jefir Sharif, a forensic toxicologist, gave evidence at the inquest and said levels of alcohol and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) were found in Mr Okorogheye’s blood and urine during tests after his death.
But in a summary of Mr Sharif’s report, the coroner said the forensic toxicologist was unable to rule out the possibility that some or all of the alcohol was produced naturally within Mr Okorogheye’s body after death.
Mr Sharif also said the levels of GHB suggest they were produced by the body after death rather than ingested or administered.
Dr Swift said the post-mortem examination showed Mr Okorogheye’s lungs were ‘somewhat overexpanded’ and his spleen was enlarged which would be ‘consistent with a history of sickle cell disorder’.
Mr Swift added that there were no acute injuries identified externally or internally, no marks of an offensive or defensive nature.
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