Jonathan Stuart Flatman, a father of four known as Jonny, climbed over the river wall in Great Yarmouth in the early hours of June 5 last year and entered the water just hours after being denied help by the crisis team.

CCTV footage showed the 62-year-old, a keen sailor who lived on Bluebell Road, Norwich, parking his Nissan Micra near the White Swan pub before getting out of his car and looking over the ledge.

The stretch of water where Mr Flatman entered the water (Image: Owen Sennitt)

He then returned to the vehicle before emerging again, this time with his wrists restrained in handcuffs.

He climbed over the wall and dropped into the river below. Witnesses saw bubbles briefly rise to the surface before he disappeared.

Mr Flatman’s body was later recovered and formally identified at the James Paget Hospital. A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death was drowning.

The court heard Mr Flatman had suffered significant health challenges in recent years but was widely described as cheerful, creative and "devoted to his family".

His partner of 38 years, Lizzie Robertson, said he loved swimming, cycling and kayaking and always had projects under way, including building three boats during lockdown.

Twelve years earlier he underwent surgery at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge to remove a benign brain tumour and made a full recovery, returning to work as a Border Force investigator.

But in 2023 he became seriously ill while competing in a sailing regatta and was diagnosed with sepsis. He spent weeks in hospital, including treatment at Royal Brompton Hospital in London where he underwent heart valve replacement surgery.

Following recovery, he began a phased return to........

© Eastern Daily Press