Shrewsbury student, 21, drowned in River Severn
A coroner was unable to determine how a 21-year-old student drowned in the River Severn.
Jurij Kmito was found dead in the water in Shrewsbury on May 27 after a six-day search.
Shropshire and Telford coroner John Ellery recorded a narrative conclusion that the Lithuanian entered the river in ‘unknown circumstances’.
The inquest at Shirehall on Thursday also heard how Jurij, a bio-chemistry student at University Centre Shrewsbury, was on track to graduate with a first-class degree.
He was found by a canoeist in a section of water between Castle Bridge and the Weir at about 12.40pm.
A statement read out from Jurij’s friend and house mate, William Aughton, said the news of his death came as a 'great surprise'.
He said: “The last time I saw him was May 21. Me and a friend were watching YouTube and I found something I thought he maybe interested in, so I shouted him to come down to the front room.
"He laughed and went back to his room. He appeared to be fine and seemed normal.
“The next day I knocked on his door to see if he wanted something from the shop but he didn’t answer. I assumed he must have gone out for the day.”
Mr Aughton eventually went down to the fire station to ask for help getting into Jurij’s bedroom, where they found a note on his desk.
“He was found on May 27 and I was very upset about this,” he added.
“We were due to go to Germany in June. I have no idea why he did this.”
The inquest also heard from David Clarke, co-ordinator for student support at the university.
Mr Clarke said Jurij was a talented student who showed no signs of being stressed about his upcoming exams.
"He was one of the first intake of students in 2015," he said. "The staff and students all knew him well so it has deeply affected the whole community.
"His approach to exams was relaxed and he performed consistently well. Outwardly, no one was aware of any problems."
Mr Ellery said there was no evidence that Jurij intended to kill himself.
He added: “We don’t know how Jurij entered the river and I cannot speculate.
"Jurij died having entered the River Severn in unknown circumstances.”
