Scarborough tourist died after canal fall in Venice - inquest

A man who fell into a canal in Venice while on holiday with his partner drowned, an inquest has heard. Chatchawan Thongpia, 31, who lived in Scarborough, is believed to have lost his balance while walking around the Italian city in the evening of 3 November last year. An inquest heard Thongpia, who was born in Thailand, was starting a five-day trip to Venice with his girlfriend Samantha Litchfield. Catherine Devereux, assistant coroner for North Yorkshire, said police believed he may have leaned against a railing and accidentally fallen into the water, but "no-one witnessed how he came to be in the canal that evening". North Yorkshire Coroner's Court heard earlier that Thongpia left the couple's hotel on their first night there to go for a walk and smoke some CBD (cannabidiol) he had bought that day. Litchfield said she decided to stay behind because they had been up early. Her statement said Thongpia was going to find a quiet alley to smoke in so no-one could smell the substance. "As time was going on I was getting more and more anxious, I didn't expect him to be gone for very long," she said. The inquest heard Litchfield tried to get some sleep but was woken by the hotel receptio