Former England rugby player, Tom Voyce, was found to have nearly three times the legal alcohol limit in his blood when his vehicle was swept away in a ford during Storm Darragh, as revealed in an inquest today.
The inquest, held in Morpeth, Northumberland, heard that pathologist Dr. Clive Bloxham conducted a post mortem examination on Voyce, aged 43, after he went missing on December 8 last year.
Prior to his disappearance, Voyce had been out shooting with his brother-in-law, Hugh Wood, before visiting the Queen’s Head in Glanton, Northumberland following the shoot on December 7.
Voyce’s wife, Anna, reported him missing the next day after he left the pub around 11:45 pm. The pathology report indicated that Voyce had an alcohol level of 215 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood, exceeding the legal limit of 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters.
During the inquest, Dr. Bloxham stated that despite no drugs being found in Voyce’s system, his high blood alcohol content would have likely impaired his coordination and judgment. While not directly causing his death, the alcohol level was deemed a significant factor.
The cause of death was determined to be immersion in water, with additional injuries consistent with drowning after being in the water for several days. Voyce’s body was retrieved by a Northumbria Police diving team around 700 meters from where his submerged Toyota Hilux was discovered in the River Aln four days earlier.
Hugh Wood recalled last seeing Voyce at the Queen’s Head before his disappearance and noted the waterlogged roads due to heavy rain, estimating an eight-mile journey for Voyce to get home.
Following Voyce’s tragic passing, his widow expressed profound devastation and focused on their son, Oscar. Voyce had a successful rugby career, playing for Bath, Wasps, and Gloucester, earning nine England caps and making 220 Premiership appearances before retiring in 2013.
The ongoing inquest is expected to conclude later today.