A British tourist drowned in a Venice canal just hours after arriving in the Italian city for a romantic break with his partner, an inquest heard.
Catchawan ‘Champ’ Thongpia, 31, was found unresponsive and floating in the water after leaving his hotel ‘for a smoke’ last November.
Mr Thongpia, a talented surfer from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was discovered by a member of the public who initially mistook him for a dolphin.
He was pulled out of the Rio de Santa Marina by emergency services but pronounced dead, North Yorkshire Coroner’s Court was told.
The inquest in Northallerton, attended by Mr Thongpia’s partner Samantha Litchfield,
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