Much-loved teenager who accidentally drowned in river was 'oblivious' to risks, coroner rules

The death of a "happy and loving" teenager who drowned after running away from his grandparents' house in Trafford was a tragic accident, a coroner has ruled.

Luke Howe is "likely to have acted on impulse in the context of emotional dysregulation" and "without any appreciation of or regard to the risks inherent in being in or near water on a cold, dark night" Area Coroner Chris Morris said.

Luke, 14, from Sale, who had ADHD and autism spectrum disorder, was found dead in the River Bollin, near Ashley Road in Hale, on January 19 this year.

READ MORE: Tragedy of boy, 14, with autism and 'strong attraction' to water who ran away and drowned

He had vanished from his grandparents' home, in Hale, just before 6.15pm the previous evening. Police were called and friends, family, neighbours and even Luke's teachers went out to look for him in freezing temperatures with torches.

Witnesses who drove past Luke reported seeing him running along nearby roads in the area with his school uniform on. Sadly, the inquest heard his body was found in the River Bollin by a police diver the next day.

An inquest into his death was this week held at South Manchester Coroner's Court in Stockport. Luke's father, James Howe, told the inquest of his son's regular 'escaping' - behaviour he said that 'stayed with him over the years, particularly when he was in an excited state.' He told of escapes he made from his home and from his specialist school in Sale, Brentwood Community College.

Mr Howe also said Luke had a 'strong attraction' to water and detailed a number of previous occasions when he had ran off and jumped into canals or rivers, saying he was also excited when the emergency services attended.

Coroner Mr Morris said that there was "no suggestion from the evidence that by running away, Luke sought to bring any harm upon himself." He recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

In the Record of Inquest completed following the hearing, which concluded on Tuesday (November 19), Mr Morris says: "Luke Howe was found dead in the River Bollin near Ashley Mill Lane, North Trafford on 19th January 2024 having drowned.

"It is likely that Luke either entered or fell into the water the previous evening, having run away from his Grandparents' home after unlocking the front door whilst momentarily out of sight.

"A police investigation established there was no third party involvement in Luke's death, and there is no suggestion from the evidence that by running away, Luke sought to bring any harm upon himself.

"Luke is likely to have acted on impulse in the context of emotional dysregulation. Luke lived his life with a complex range of issues including a significant learning disability, Autism, ADHD and possibly OCD.

"Whilst Luke enjoyed significant periods of stability and could demonstrate insight, a feature of his presentation was impulsive and sometimes wholly unpredictable acts, embarked upon whilst seemingly oblivious to the objective risks he was running.

"It is likely that due to his underlying conditions, Luke drowned in circumstances where he either placed himself or fell into the water without any appreciation of or regard to the risks inherent in being in or near water on a cold, dark night"

Following her son's death, Luke's mother Elizabeth said he was 'just a beautiful, beautiful soul. So happy and loving, just a real character.'

His father described Luke as a 'joyful' boy who would speak to everyone he met and loved Harry Potter. "He loved spending time with his family," Mr Howe told the inquest.

"He managed to make me smile even when we were in hospital. Luke was a real character who was well known in the area. He hated staying in the house. He liked going camping and on holidays together. Luke loved spending time with both sets of his grandparents. He was a very cuddly boy. He was really a very loving person.

"His death has been a huge loss to his family and everyone who knew him. He is very sadly missed and is in our hearts everyday."

Thousands of people paid tribute to Luke following his death including scores of M.E.N. readers. His family launched a crowdfunding appeal, in his honour, to raise funds for a new soft play area at Brentwood School, as they said 'there was nothing he loved more.'