The body of former England player rugby Tom Voyce was discovered four days after his car was found unoccupied in seven feet of water after he tried to cross a ford on the River Aln, an inquest has heard.
The inquest into Mr Voyce’s death was opened at Northumberland Coroners’ Court by Andrew Hetherington on Wednesday morning. The inquest heard the 43-year-old was reported missing by his wife Anna on December 8, 2024.
He was last seen leaving the Queen’s Head pub at Glanton in his car at 11.45pm the night before during Storm Darragh, and concerns were raised the following morning when he had not returned home.
His Toyota Hilux was found unoccupied the following day in seven feet of storm water. It appeared to have been swept from the swollen Abberwick Ford on the River Aln.
Mr Voyce’s body was found four days later in deep water close to Abberwick Mill, with his death confirmed by Aaron Duke of UK Search and Rescue at 11.20am on December 12. The inquest has since been adjourned and the coroner will conclude the hearing on April 1.
Last month, Anna paid tribute to her late husband, saying: “Absolutely devastated and heartbroken doesn’t even describe how we feel.” The Voyce family also thanked police, Mountain Rescue, and all of the specialist teams who searched for Tom.
The family had moved to Northumberland where Mr Voyce said up a business, and he was said to have “embraced” country life, coaching at Alnwick Rugby Football Club and speaking at club events.
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