British tourist drowned after falling into Venice canal, inquest hears
Chatchawan Thongpia, 31, was living in Scarborough but also resided at Brooklands Farm in Exeter before his death
Last updated 10th Jun 2026
A British tourist drowned after falling into a Venice canal while on holiday with his partner, an inquest heard.
Mechanical engineer Chatchawan Thongpia, 31, is believed to have lost his balance while walking around the Italian city in the evening of November 3 last year.
An inquest heard Mr Thongpia, who was living in Scarborough but also said to reside at Brooklands Farm in Exeter, was starting a five-day trip in Venice with his partner Samantha Lichfield.
On their first night there, he left their hotel to go for a walk and smoke some CBD he had bought that day.
Ms Lichfield said she decided to stay behind because they had been up since 2.30am.
Her statement said Mr Thongpia, who was born in Thailand, was going to find a quiet alley to smoke in so no-one could smell it.
She said: “As time was going on I was getting more and more anxious, I didn’t expect him to be gone for very long.”
The inquest heard Ms Lichfield tried to get some sleep but was woken by the hotel receptionist telling her the police were downstairs.
The inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner’s Court heard that a witness was walking around Campo Santa Marina at around 6.30pm and saw a body in the water.
He tried to grab the person through the bars of a bridge, but could not hold on to him because of the strong current.
The witness asked another family on the bridge to contact the emergency services, who attended but could not resuscitate Mr Thongpia when he was recovered.
A report from the Italian police said some of Mr Thongpia’s movements had been captured on CCTV, but not the moment he went into the canal.
They said he was believed to have “accidentally fallen into the water, presumably after losing his balance” and was transported tens of metres because of the strong current.
A post-mortem examination found that Mr Thongpia did not have any injuries that suggested he had been assaulted, or that there was any third party involvement in his death.
A cannabinoid was found in his system, which the pathologist said was likely to have been consumed three hours earlier.
His report said it was “possible but not probable” that this had caused Mr Thongpia’s motor skills to be impaired.
The medical cause of death was drowning.
Coroner Catherine Devereux said police believed Mr Thongpia may have leaned against a railing and accidentally fallen into the water.
But she told the hearing: “No-one witnessed how he came to be in the canal that evening.”
Ms Devereux recorded an open conclusion.