A young man who drowned after falling into the river Orwell could have suffered an epileptic fit beforehand, an inquest heard.

The inquest into the death of David Lee Dryden heard that the 22-year-old had suffered from epilepsy since the age of 14.

Mr Dryden’s body was discovered close to Stoke Bridge as police officers searched the river at low tide on February 5.

Mr Dryden been reported missing the previous day and his mobile phone had been found on the towpath close to the Ipswich skate park, which prompted the search.

An inquest held into his death at IP City yesterday heard that the former Royal Hospital School pupil took daily medication for epilepsy.

Coroner Dr Peter Dean said: “We know that if Mr Dryden had an epileptic fit that other people would know about it.

“The evidence itself presents no indication as to how Mr Dryden came to be in the river.

“One possibility suggested by doctors is that he could have suffered an epileptic seizure and fallen into the river.

“There is no clear indication that a seizure took place but it can not be ruled out. There are a lot of unanswerable questions in this case.”

A post mortem carried out recorded drowning as the cause of his death.

Recording an open verdict, Dr Dean, said: “This was a very sad set of circumstances and my thoughts are with Mr Dryden’s family and friends.”