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River car teens most likely drowned, inquest hears

Duncan Leatherdaleat Sunderland Coroner's Court
News imageHandout A composite image of the three teenagers. Luke Etheridge is on the left and is looking into the camera with a straight face. He has dark, short hair which is longer on the top compared to the sides. He is wearing a blue t-shirt and lighter blue lanyard. Zara Shaw is in the middle smiling into the camera with her chin resting on her clasped hands. She has long brown hair and is wearing a black vest with a pearl bracelet on her wrist. Jackson Duke is on the right and has light brown short hair. He is smiling to the side. He is wearing a black suit jacket and beige shirt and tie.Handout
Inquests have been opened into the deaths of Luke Etheridge, Zara Shaw and Jackson Duke (left to right)

Three teenagers who died when the car they were in plunged into a river most likely drowned, a coroner has heard.

Jackson Duke, 17, and 16-year-olds Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw died when a black Audi A3 entered the River Wear in Sunderland, just before 13:30 BST on 29 September.

A 17-year-old boy, who managed to reach safety, has been released on bail pending further inquiries after being arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Opening inquests for the three, Sunderland's senior coroner David Place said it was a "tragic time for the whole city".

During the three short hearings at City Hall, coroner's officer Vicky Ross said Northumbria Police was called to reports of a car entering the river at Panns Bank.

One of the vehicle's four occupants managed to "self-extricate" but the other three "tragically could not", she said.

Their bodies were found in the car later by divers, the inquest heard.

News imageBBC/Eve Connor The River Wear in Sunderland with low water and brown, muddy banks, has a collection of emergency vehicles on the nearer quayside. There are marked police vans and a large, yellow recovery vehicle with a blue crane arm. Hanging from the crane arm is an upside down black Audi A3.BBC/Eve Connor
The teenagers were in a black Audi A3 which entered the river at Panns Bank

She said an investigation into the circumstances was ongoing.

A post-mortem examination carried out on 1 October concluded the provisional cause of death for Jackson appeared to be "consistent with drowning", Place said during a seven-minute long hearing.

He offered his condolences to relatives who attended the hearing and said: "It's a tragic time for the whole of the city."

A pathologist also concluded Luke's cause of death was "consistent with drowning", Place said.

News imageCity Hall in Sunderland. It's a modern office block with lots of long windows, standing some five storeys high. A road is in front and cars are passing with a blurred effect.
The inquests were opened at Sunderland's City Hall

The coroner also offered his condolences to Luke's family, who had attended the four-minute long hearing.

Zara's provisional cause of death was also provisionally found to be "consistent with drowning", the coroner said during a three-minute long hearing which her family had chosen not to attend.

Review hearings for all three teenagers have been listed for 21 January.

Their places of death were listed as the River Wear in Sunderland, the inquest heard.

The coroner said it was his role to establish how the three died but not to apportion blame to any person or organisation.

Jackson and Luke were from Sunderland and Zara was from Houghton-le-Spring.

All were students at Sunderland College.

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