Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
News
Original poster

19 year old student missing in Durham

80 replies

FreakinScaryCaaw · 17/01/2015 00:06

Here.

This is the third student to go missing in Durham in 14 months. Sadly the other 2 were found in the river.

I was in Durham today and his friends were handing out leaflets with his picture on. ITV news were there too. It's so awful Sad

I have two teenage boys, one will go to Uni next year. I can't even begin to imagine how worried his family are.

I do hope he's found safe.

OP posts:
Momzilla82 · 19/01/2015 14:50

I was at Durham 10 years ago. It isn't like other university towns. I agree with pp who said it lulls you into a false sense of security. I was at the same college (it was women only back then)- and we were encouraged to never use the river paths after dark- I think there was a flasher? I really pray he is found safely. I have two sons. I feel for his poor parents, they must be beside themselves.

Cerisier · 19/01/2015 14:51

Thank you friendface for the link, I've just signed. DD is a student there too. I can't imagine what Euan's parents are going through, my heart goes out to them.

PeaStalks · 19/01/2015 15:02

This story gives me shivers. I have a 19 year old DS in his first year at uni. It's an exciting time for them and they grow up so quickly but many of them go overnight from living at home with parents to the independence of uni life. My DS grew up in a tiny village and had zero knowledge of city life or how to be streetwise. It seems a very simple rule to say never go home alone but inevitably it doesn't always happen.

I think that when there is a headline news story affecting someone your own child's age / sex you empathise more closely. I hope it has a happy ending.

Original poster
FreakinScaryCaaw · 19/01/2015 17:19

It just baffles me how someone can be drunk, fall into that river, and not get out? I can't work it out at all but it does happen.

OP posts:
scousadelic · 19/01/2015 18:43

My DS went there Freakin and when we talked about this at the weekend he said that people did sometimes walk home alone when drunk as Durham is perceived to be so safe but they were told, on arriving as students, that there is usually one fatality a year to the river. He rowed a lot so knew the river well and said the banks are steeper than you think so easy to slip in and hard to get out. The water is also very cold

I still hope and pray that is not the case here and Euan is found safe

Oceanpurple · 19/01/2015 19:08

Some time ago a suggestion was made that there should be stewards patrolling some areas of the river bank on Friday/Saturday nights I think.

SnowBells · 19/01/2015 19:26

Momzilla I was there just a couple of years before you.

I really meant it when I said it lulls you into a false sense of security. Durham was this bubble where you felt so safe you'd do things you'd never do otherwise!!! Things I'd never dream of doing anywhere else... like going home alone in the dark down that path by the river between Prebends Bridge and Framwellgate Bridge. It somehow felt like a 'safe' thing to do - the way a gated community may make you think you're safe, but there are no gates in Durham to justify that thought.

Messygirl · 19/01/2015 20:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Stealthpolarbear · 19/01/2015 20:17

Agree that durham is a safe city
I used to walk home knowing that I'd be passing groups of students and would know one or two in each group

Turquoisetamborine · 19/01/2015 20:21

I worked with a lovely man in Durham who wished us all a nice weekend on a Friday at 5pm then went and jumped to his death in the river.

His body wasn't recovered for two weeks and was miles downstream. I fear the worst for this lad, sadly. It just doesn't add up to be anything else.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 19/01/2015 20:26

Just awful , plus the guy that went missing on Derby day.

jonicomelately · 19/01/2015 20:27

DN is at Durham and says the boys regularly walk along the path next to the river. It"s quite narrow apparently.

IAmAPaleontologist · 19/01/2015 20:39

Durham is a very safe city by and large.

The river is a pathway to various places and I too often walked by the banks at night to get places. I do wonder if there is a difference between now and 10 years or so ago when I was a student. There were 2 other establishments offering nightlife other than college bars (well, obviously pubs etc too but no clubs/wine bars etc) and everyone would be in groups. You'd do a college bar crawl as a group. You'd stay in your college in the bar. You'd go to Klute after formal all together then go home all together. Did that make it less likely to lose someone to the river? Now there is so much more choice, people nip from one place to another, they leave their group and nip along to another bar to catch a friend.

I don't know. Just musing really.

I'm in 2 minds about petitions asking for safer river banks. Do we really want fences keeping us back from the river all the way along the banks? I feel it would spoil the city somewhat. CCTV perhaps could be useful if unobtrusive. It may not save a life but could answer the question as to where a missing person is. Then again, can we really cover every cm of bank on both sides in the vicinity of the city centre? What about the landing stations for rowers? Would be have to gate them off too to avoid a break in the barrier?

Surely the answer is not to build barriers and add cameras, block access to our river and monitor our every move while we are near it but rather to look at the root cause and focus on encouraging young people to be sensible and to respect the river. I think in general there is a feeling that it isn't dangerous because it is mostly shallow, rowers are forever falling out and of course are fine, dh the idiot stripped off and went for a midnight swim on his stag do. But there are deeper areas, there are known danger areas and if you get under the water it is scarily easy to become trapped under the banks.

It isn't always students though, few years ago a man went missing from an event that was being held at the rowing club. He turned up in the river, found by a rower several days later. His body had become lodged under the banks.

Meandthecat · 19/01/2015 20:47

DS is a second year student at Durham, seeing the photo of this lad, breaks my heart. Could so be my son.
I'm praying for good news.

Pixel · 19/01/2015 21:25

I agree you can't fence off everything that is potentially dangerous and I'm not sure CCTV would be of much practical use in preventing tragedies such as this, but I was just wondering what the lighting is like by the river? (I've never been there so I've no idea). Is that something that could be improved?

IAmAPaleontologist · 19/01/2015 21:39

Lighting? Undoubtedly it could be improved yes. But again where do you stop? Yes lighting by the main steps down to the banks etc but should we put bright lights along the whole of the river banks? When do you turn them off? If you take a look at the picture you can see how walking round the banks between the various bridges would be common to get from one place to another but also how big an area we are talking about. Any additional fencing/lighting etc would have to be kept to the main entry and exit points from the banks and I question how much of a difference that would make, I feel it would lull people into a false sense of security as it would make it look safe and bright.

19 year old student missing in Durham
emwithme · 19/01/2015 22:04

DH mentioned a statistic the other day (I am trying to back this up with proof so hopefully it's not just one of the 93.7% of statistics that are made up on the spot) that in something like 80% of drownings in young males (18 - 24 years) they have an elevated blood alcohol level and undone flies/trousers round ankles (so they've been on their way home, decided to have a pee, thought "Ooh I'll pee in the river/canal/whatever" and stumble and fall in - and because they're drunk and not concentrating properly they can't get out).

I have ONCE fallen in a canal. I wasn't drunk (I was about 10) and in the time it took my friends to scream my foot had got caught on a shopping trolley and I was stuck. Fortunately some fishermen were nearby and rescued me before I went under.

friendface · 19/01/2015 23:05

IAmAPaleontologist I do see what you mean - the petition is only floating ideas - but I disagree that nothing can be done. From what I gather it is largely only one or two sections of the footpath used at night, surely it would not be impractical to put CCTV cameras in such areas? I would personally not object to barriers being put in place in particularly narrow or steep areas of the river bank either. Whatever the response, I'm sure there will be pressure to review river safety in durham now more than ever - after a similar series of tragedies in York last year there has been a review of the area and hopefully changes will be made. In the meantime, all the univeristy can do is keep reminding students of the dangers.

Original poster
FreakinScaryCaaw · 20/01/2015 08:19

There's lighting you can get that only comes on when someone's near.

OP posts:
sillymillyb · 20/01/2015 09:30

My ex dp was at Durham and this sends shivers down my spine as he told me once he fell in the canal after a night out and his friends thought he was joking when he couldn't get out. He seriously thought he was going to die, and was shocked at how unable to help himself he was.

I am in Newcastle now, and Durham does feel safe some how doesn't it? Its like you always know someone, even by degrees of separation.

Not sure what the answer is, but my heart goes out to this boys parents, I look at my son and can't imagine what they are going through :(

SolomanDaisy · 20/01/2015 09:40

It's so sad for this boy and his family and friends. He had the maximum chance of being found as well, because his friends were very sensible and reported him missing very quickly. Three in one year is a lot. I went to another university with lots of water around and there were no fatal accidents while I was there.

ptumbi · 20/01/2015 09:40

Oh god - my ds2 is thinking of Durham Uni next sept. We live way down south, so it feels like miles away....
Hoping for a good outcome to this Sad

IAmAPaleontologist · 20/01/2015 09:47

friendface I never said that nothing could be done, only that it needs to be carefully considered otherwise we are risking perpetuating the idea that it is perfectly safe to walk along the river in the dark and that anything that is done needs to include, or even start with, raising awareness of why accidents happen and looking at how we can reduce the behaviour that leads to it.

WowOoo · 20/01/2015 09:49

Hope he's found safe and well.

A friend of mine at Uni went off for a few days without telling anyone. He was a bit depressed and confused about a situation. I really hope it's the same kind of thing.

Original poster
FreakinScaryCaaw · 21/01/2015 23:44

I hope he has just gone off for a bit.

The police say they're still hopeful he's alive, I wonder if they know something we don't?

It's just so awful.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread