Marcel Wochna inquest: Man speaks of moment he found body

Andrew Watson told Marcel Wochna's inquest he first noticed a black rucksack in the water at Smith's Quay as he walked towards a friend's boat. 

He looked down and saw a body halfway between the quay wall and the land. 

Mr Watson said he "started running down the pontoon to approach the body with the intention of trying to save life". 

However, Marcel had entered the water more than 24 hours earlier and had already died.

Search teams in the area of Cobden Marina. (Image: NQ)

His body was recovered on November 9, 2021 using a rope which was passed through the strap of his rucksack.

The jury previously heard how Marcel, who lived in Southampton with his mother, had jumped into the water at Cobden Marina after police attempted to arrest him. 

He was found around two and a half miles downstream. 

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Giving evidence at the inquest, Michael Strickland told the jury he was the first person to contact police about possible criminal damage taking place at the marina. 

He said at some point between 10pm and 11pm on November 7, 2021, he saw two people on "the wreck", a crane in the middle of the River Itchen. 

"We didn't think much of this because people mess around on the river.

"When they arrived [at the marina] it quickly became apparent that something unusual was happening.

"[There were a] number of security lights. Those lights were being pulled down and thrown into the river and were then floating off down the river.

"We decided the right thing to do was to contact the police."

Officers William Chan and Keely Miles arrived and handcuffed Marcel's friend. 

Marcel, who had been smoking cannabis that evening, jumped into the river because he didn't want to get in trouble with his mother, the inquest heard.

Tributes left at Cobden Bridge to Marcel Wochna. (Image: NQ)

Mr Strickland recalled hearing "some small noise and then there was a splash".

"My assumption was at the time that [Marcel] was going to get to the boat and make an exit.

"[I saw] nothing at all. There was no sign of anybody or no movement or any action of any sort." 

Police arrived and spent hours searching the area but nothing was found.

The water was flowing south that evening at around three to four knots, Police Sergeant Matthew Gransden said in a statement.

Cobden Bridge (Image: NQ)

A post-mortem report suggested Marcel had died of drowning with water found in his lungs. 

The report ruled out that Marcel had drunk a significant amount of alcohol before his death but did note that substances relating to cannabis were present in his system. 

Professor of physiology at the University of Portsmouth, Michael Tipton, was called as an expert witness for his work on studying the effects of cold water on the body. 

The jury was previously told Marcel had been seen by the police swimming away after taking a large gasp, which the professor said is "just about the worst thing to do".

"We encourage people to do as little as possible on first going into cold water."

This is because swimming increases the chance of taking water into the lungs, he said.

The water temperature that evening was 12 degrees Celsius.

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Marcel was wearing Nike grey jogging bottoms, Jordan trainers, a dark jumper with a hood on it and a dark-coloured rucksack when he was found. 

Professor Tipton added: "With that amount of clothing, compounded by the disruption of the cold shock response, I can imagine Marcel getting exhausted in a very short period of time."

Responding to questions from the jury, the professor said it would have been "very difficult" for Marcel to call for help due to cold water shock and drowning.

The jury previously heard Marcel was front-crawl swimming away about five metres when he was last seen. 

The inquest continues.