
Tragedy as man in his 50s dies after ‘getting into difficulty' while swimming at popular UK beach
Cornwall Police raced to get the man out of the water, scrambling emergency helicopters after he was found unresponsive on July 20.
2
Coastguard forces were scrambled after an unresponsive man was spotted in the sea
Credit: Getty
2
Spit Beach is known for its stunning sights
Credit: Alamy
The 50-year-old man was spotted in the sea at Spit Beach Par after getting "into difficulty" while swimming at around 2.15pm.
Police were contacted by HM Coastguard, who scrambled emergency services in a desperate race to reach the unresponsive man.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and South Western Ambulances joined in the rescue effort, with a coastguard helicopter finally retrieving him from the sea.
Attempts to save the Hertfordshire man's life were made upon recovering him from the water, but he sadly passed away - despite the emergency services' efforts.
Read More on UK News
Following the desperate rescue mission, a spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Police were called by HM Coastguard at 2.15pm on Sunday 20 July after a man was found unresponsive in the sea at Spit Beach, Par.
"The man had got into difficulty while swimming and was recovered from the water by the Coastguard helicopter.
"Ambulance and the RNLI also attended.
"The man was treated at the scene but despite the best efforts of emergency services he was sadly pronounced deceased.
Most read in The Sun
"He was in his 50s and from Hertfordshire.
"The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner."
Previously, the force had released a statement saying they were called to Spit Beach at Par, following an alert from HM Coastguard near St Austell.
Spit Beach is popular with dog walkers and, according to St Austell's tourist page, very much a local's favourite.
The beach looks out to the channel, which is notoriously difficult to swim in.
The ice cold temperatures, strong currents and unpredictable weather have even led some to brand the channel as the "Everest of open water swimming".
More to follow...
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Lucas Paqueta ‘set to be CLEARED of betting charges as FA faced with paying West Ham star's £1MILLION legal fees'
LUCAS PAQUETA is set to be cleared of spot-fixing charges, according to reports. The West Ham star has played for two years while allegations of being deliberately yellow carded were hanging over his head. Advertisement 2 Lucas Paqueta is set to be cleared of spot-fixing charges Credit: Getty 2 Paqueta was accused of being deliberately carded on four occasions Credit: PA It was alleged that Paqueta picked up bookings on four separate occasions between November 2022 to August 2023 amid suspicious betting patterns being flagged. A guilty verdict could have seen the 27-year-old slapped with a lifetime ban from football. But reports from The FA are set to confirm their decision early next week. Advertisement West Ham and Paqueta are said to be furious over how long it has taken to reach a verdict. The FA could now face having to cover the cost of the midfielder's legal fees, which is in the region of £1million. Shortly before the investigation became public, Manchester City had agreed an £85million deal to sign the former Lyon man from West Ham. But that move collapsed once City became aware of the allegations. Advertisement Most read in Football An investigation was launched after suspicions betting patterns were identified originating from Paqueta Island in Brazil, where the player was born. Bets ranging from just £7 to £400 were placed on the four separate cards, in matches against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth. A total of £100,000 in winnings came from bets placed on the four bookings. West Ham's then shirt sponsor, Betway, as well as a number of other high-profile bookmakers, raised concerns after their automatic systems which monitor suspicious betting were triggered. Advertisement After the nine-month FA probe, Paqueta was charged in May last year but did not face a hearing until March 2025, which finished following the end of the Premier League season. During the hearing, evidence was heard from former West Ham boss David Moyes. Paqueta's form has nosedived during the process, with the playmaker in tears on the pitch following a booking in a West Ham game versus Tottenham in May. Following that match, Paqeuta's wife released an emotional statement saying the family had been living through a "nightmare" for two years. Advertisement Sources close to the player have revealed that the allegations have had a serious impact on Paqueta's mental well-being. Read more on the Irish Sun THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at


The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Drug dealer son of iconic 1990s band's lead singer who was snared by cops after finding messages about his dad is jailed
THE drug dealer son of an iconic '90s singer has been jailed after being identified in texts linked to his dad. Thomas Hooton, 30, was trusted to broker multi-million pound drug deals for organised criminals using an encrypted messaging service. 2 Thomas Hooton, 30, has been jailed for more than 10 years for his role in multi-million pound drug deals Credit: National Crime Agency 2 The criminal was identified after officers deciphered a number of clues which linked the drug dealer to his dad Peter Hooton - lead singer of The Farm Credit: Getty However, specialist officers were able to identify the criminal - who was using the name "Ownraptor" - by linking messages on the account to the identity of his dad Peter Hooton, 62, lead singer of The Farm. Today, the 30-year-old was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 10 years and eight months in prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiring to supply heroin, cocaine, cannabis and ketamine. Specialist investigators had managed to nick the drug dealer after piecing together a number of clues about his identity - including pictures of his musician dad with the Champions League trophy. On one occasion, an associate sent Hooton a picture of his dad Peter and also made comments linking the criminal to him. Read More on UK News Hooton also spoke in messages about driving a Black Audi A3 and that his 'arl fella'' arranged his insurance for him. Official checks then showed Peter Hooton had insured a black Audi A3 for his son. After being arrested by officers from Merseyside's Organised Crime Partnership in April, Hooton later pleaded guilty to the supply of a number of drugs. All in all, he had been messaging criminals on the service EncroChat to deal drugs with a wholesale value of around £1.3 million. Most read in The Sun The drug dealer had 41 different names for contacts within EncroChat and had a County Lines drug supply to criminals across Scotland as well as north-east and southern England. 'HIS DRUG SUPPLY OPERATIONS SPANNED THE UK, WORKING WITH HIGH LEVEL CRIMINALS' A spokesperson for the National Crime Agency said: "At the very minimum, Hooton was involved in the supply of 42.5kg of cannabis, 3.25kg of heroin, 10 kg of cocaine and 1kg of ketamine. "His messages said he was in possession of around £400,000 and owed £258,000." His offences were committed between March 26 and June 4 in 2020. Detective Chief Inspector Lynsay Armbruster said: "It's clear Hooton was involved in organised crime for a long time before he was charged. "His criminal and geographical reach will have taken considerable time to establish. "His drug supply operations were on an almost daily basis, they were sustained and spanned the UK working with high level criminals."


The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Fury as 2 security guards suspended after being ‘heavy handed' trying to detain shoplifting asylum seeker
TWO security guards have been suspended this week after being 'heavy-handed' as they tried to detain an asylum seeker shoplifting thousands of pounds worth of goods. The department store employees detained the crook attempting to flee with two bottles of Creed, an £845-a-bottle cologne. Advertisement 2 Police were called to the Oxford Street department store but did not attend Credit: Getty 2 The suspension of two security guards comes after The Sun watched asylum seekers shoplifting in luxury department stores across London Credit: Ian Whittaker Police were called to Oxford Street but did not attend, so he was released after four hours. It comes after We watched organised gangs exit Liberty in London with luxury items. A source last night told how the guards, who have both worked at a security firm for over seven years, are under investigation. Advertisement READ MORE ON ASYLUM HOTELS They added: 'The migrant got violent and one of the guards got heavy-handed and put him in a headlock. Now they've been suspended and I don't think they'll get their jobs back.' Shadow Home Secretary 'It is a disgrace that these illegal migrants are raiding shops in central London and returning to their After being tipped off by a security firm, we watched as organised gangs exited Liberty in London with alarm-dodging bags of luxury items. Advertisement Most read in The Sun They carried bags lined with tin foil that stop security tags from going off when leaving stores. The Met Police said there will be 'increased patrols' in London over the summer. Police swarm 4-star London hotel set to house asylum seekers as furious protesters gather outside They added: 'Intensified multi-agency action will tackle anti-social behaviour and theft is part of ongoing work by the Met and Mayor of London to put visible neighbourhood policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence.' The Home Office said shoplifters will have their immigration status reviewed if convicted. Advertisement Migrants 'cop spit' A MIGRANT who came to Britain in a small boat has denied spitting at a cop. Sudanese Kabashi Ibrahim, 22, was accused of assaulting a PC. Two witnesses said they saw the incident on July 20, 2024, when Mr Ibrahim was approached by police officers in Westminster, central London. Mr Ibrahim had been living in a supported accommodation complex in Buckinghamshire, but is now homeless. He spoke only to confirm his personal details and was helped by a Sudanese interpreter at Westminster magistrates' court. He was granted unconditional bail until his trial on November 4 before City of London magistrates.