Andrew Scott's family launch safety campaign in bid to avoid further deaths

Andrew Scott had his spear gun strapped to his arm and was wearing thick gloves when tragedy struck, Dorset coroner Rachael Griffin was told.

The Bournemouth inquest heard it is impossible to tell exactly what happened to Mr Scott, who could also have had a blackout.

But now his family is working with the Spearfishing Association to produce safety leaflets in a bid to prevent another tragedy in the future.

Mr Scott, of Whatcombe Lane, Winterborne Whitechurch, Blandford, left his home at 4pm on Monday July 10 to go spearfishing at Ringstead Bay, near Weymouth, the inquest heard.

His bag was found on the beach at 7.30pm and he was reported missing by his family later that evening.

A huge search involving police helicopters, coastguards, lifeboat crews and several other organisations was conducted over the next few days. Mr Scott’s body was found on Sunday July 16 by members of the Spearfishing Association who had volunteered to help.

Police diving technician John Manners provided a statement for the inquest which said Mr Scott’s spear gun had a strap attached to it, which had been placed around his arm, and a second velcro strap on top of it. “It is possible that the extra strap would have compromised the release of the velcro strap” he said.

And PC Dave Taylor added: “In a panic situation I think Andrew would have struggled to release the strap with those thick gloves on.”

Mrs Griffin concluded that Mr Scott’s death was the result of an accident and added: “It is possible that he fired his spear gun that got caught on something. If anything good can come of Andrew’s death it can be to educate others and warn others of the dangers of using such items in the future.”

After the inquest, Mr Scott’s father, Ben, thanked all those who helped in the search. He said money collected at his funeral has been given to the RNLI and also to the Spearfishing Association to produce safety booklets.