Inquest Opens into Drowning of PC Rehaan Akhtar

A 28-year-old police officer from Llanelli drowned in Bristol harbour after disappearing during a night out with friends in the city centre, an inquest has heard.

PC Rehaan Akhtar, a constable with South Wales Police, was last seen in the early hours of November 23 following an evening of drinking. He did not return to the hostel where he was staying, prompting friends and family to report him missing. A large-scale search ensued, and his body was recovered by divers from the waterside near Narrow Quay in Bristol's harbour on the morning of November 24. He was pronounced dead at 10:39 a.m. by PC Adam Rowland and formally identified by his mother, Fozia Akhtar.

Avon Coroners Court opened an inquest into the death on Wednesday, with assistant coroner Debbie Rookes recording the provisional cause as drowning based on a postmortem examination. The hearing was told that the incident is not being treated as suspicious by Avon and Somerset Police. Rookes adjourned the inquest, directing that all statements and evidence be submitted to the court by January 5. She provisionally scheduled the next hearing for February 24, 2026, noting that the date could shift depending on further...