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Detective died on dive after saving friend
Peter Dominiczak19 Nov 2009
A policeman died after saving a friend's life in a scuba diving accident, an inquest heard.
Det Sgt John Gilbert, 58, and his friend Christopher Read were diving on wreckage off the south coast when they realised they were running out of air.
Mr Gilbert cast off his friend's lead dive belt so he could rapidly ascend to the surface but while following him suffered severe decompression sickness.
On the surface, fellow members of the Metropolitan Police Sub Aqua Club tried to revive the experienced diver but he died the following day.
Giving evidence yesterday, Mr Read, who had been a friend of the father-of-two for 15 years, said the pair had been diving 30 metres down off the coast at Worthing on 8 August.
He said: "We were just swimming around a wreck and eventually we gradually worked our way up."
After about 25 minutes, the pair were six metres below the surface when Mr Read, who had changed from his first tank to his second, found he could no longer breathe in air. "I tried to swap over to the other cylinder, I looked around for the other regulator because I spat mine out," he said.
The pair had by now sunk back to the wreck and at this point Mr Gilbert, from Watford, removed his friend's belt as both their air supplies were low.
Expert witness Jim Watson, of the British Sub Aqua Club, said: "There is no doubt in my mind that John's actions saved Chris's life."
Recording a narrative verdict, West Sussex Deputy Coroner Martin Milward said: "The assistance John gave Chris undoubtedly saved Chris's life. Tragically John has not been so fortunate."
