Police officer drowned on 'normal night out'

A police officer fell into Bristol Harbour and drowned on what his friend described as "a normal night out", an inquest has heard.

PC Rehaan Akhtar, from Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, did not return to the hostel he was staying after a day of drinking with friends in Bristol on 22 November 2025.

The 28-year-old's body was recovered from the city's harbour on the morning of 24 November and he was later identified by his mother.

Akhtar fell into the water near the Arnolfini art gallery and drowned after consuming "a significant quantity of alcohol", an inquest at Avon Coroner's Court found earlier.

A statement from his family described him as a "very caring and widely respected individual who was loved by everyone who knew him".

The inquest heard that he looked after his health, went to the gym up to five times a week and played for a local football club.

Akhtar had recently bought his first home and had plans to move in the following January.

He was said to be "not a big drinker", who knew his limits.

A statement from friend Corey Griffiths read out to the court said: "It just felt like a normal night out."

Akhtar arrived in Bristol by train from Llanelli with his friends at around 13:15 BST, and went for a beer at the Sidings pub near Temple Meads Station before taking a taxi to their hostel on Narrow Quay in Bristol Harbour to drop off their bags.

They later went to watch a Wales rugby match at King Street Brew House, where they each had four or five pints of lager and some food.

The friends kept drinking at a number of others pubs on King Street before checking into the hostel after 20:00.

The group then went for cocktails at around 21:00, before moving onto other bars until around 01:00 when they all left together.

Griffiths told the inquest he remembered walking over Pero's Bridge towards their hostel with Akhtar. His next recollection was being inside the hostel lobby looking for the key.

"I thought he was with me when I was in the lobby," his statement said.

He said they had all been drinking all day and Akhtar had been his normal self and there were no reasons to be concerned.

He was woken up the next morning by another friend saying Akhtar was missing, but it was not until a few hours later that they became increasingly concerned and called the police.

CCTV footage shows that Akhtar fell into water at around 01:15 from the jetty dock by Arnolfini - which is a popular spot where people often sit during sunny weather.

His body was recovered by divers at 10:39 on 24 November and then taken to the Harbourmaster's office where it was identified by Akhtar's mother.

The post mortem examination found no evidence of any injury, or traces of drugs in his system. There were high levels of alcohol found in his blood and urine, and it was "likely that intoxication contributed to his fall into water".

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed there was no third party involvement.

Akhtar's partner raised concerns to the inquest about safety where he entered the water, which prompted a written response by Bristol Harbourmaster David Lockwood.

"There is already in place a comprehensive framework of public water safety measures across Bristol City Harbour," he said.

This includes public rescue equipment, railings, signage, and grabs chains.

The harbourmaster's statement said past inspections had found that on average Bristol's Harbour poses a level of risk that is not significantly different to other cities where people have drowned in the past.

"It would not be practical to completely barrier off the entire water's edge as this is a working harbour," he said, adding it would also alter the Harbour's character as a public space.

Peter Harrowing, Area Coroner for Avon, said he was satisfied that "the authorities are continually working to improve safety where practical", which meant he would not be issuing a prevention of further deaths report.

Speaking after the inquest, Akhtar's sisters, Meena and Rabia Najmi, said they did not want another family to suffer the same tragedy.

"It is quite disappointing to hear that there's going to be no kind of drastic safety measures put in place to prevent it happening in future," Meena Najmi said.

They said Bristol needed to learn from Swansea Marina, where railings had reduced the number of deaths.

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