Questions remain on how 20-year-old man starting new life in Wigan drowned in canal

Umad Yapp was just 20 when he made the journey from crisis-hit Sudan to the UK, possibly crossing the English Channel in a small boat.

He arrived in May and went to stay at the Britannia Hotel in Standish, which is used by the Government to house asylum seekers.

He had a “good rapport” with staff and other residents, was described as “friendly” and “upbeat”, and was waiting for the Home Office to decide whether he could remain in the UK.

But Lynn Palmer, housing officer supervisor for Serco, the firm supporting people living at the hotel, told Bolton Coroner’s Court that Umad “burst into tears” on Thursday, August 10.

Ms Palmer said: “He was very upset and stated that he was worried in case he got sent back to France.”

She asked Umad if he had been told he must go to France, as asylum claims should be made in the first country people reach, but he denied having any correspondence.

He also said he had run out of anti-depressants bought in France, so she made appointments for him to see a GP and mental health worker.

The inquest heard Umad had not reported any mental health issues when he registered with a GP in May.

Ms Palmer said Umad left her office, thanking her for her support, and returned to his room.

But she became concerned when she returned to work the next day and was told he had put his belongings into bags the previous evening and left them in a corridor.

Ms Palmer said: “He was on CCTV bin-bagging all of his personal possessions and put them outside the door, then put his shoes on top of the bags and his rosary beads.”

She was extremely concerned so called the police to report Umad was missing.

CCTV footage showed Umad leaving the hotel just before 8pm that evening, without shoes on his feet.

An investigation was launched, with police classing him as high risk, examining a mobile phone he had left at the hotel and appealing for any sightings via the media.

Sadly his body was found in the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, off Scot Lane, on Sunday, August 13.

A post-mortem examination found he died by drowning. There was nothing to suggest third party involvement, the inquest heard.

Police spent days trawling CCTV footage and were able to follow Umad as he walked from the hotel to Scot Lane.

He was last seen on camera at 9.55pm on Thursday, August 10, just 260 yards from where his body was found three days later.

Det Insp David Sinclair told the inquest he believed Umad entered the water shortly afterwards, but that was not caught on CCTV.

Coroner Michael Pemberton said he did not have enough evidence to find Umad died by suicide.

He recorded a narrative conclusion, stating: “On the balance of probabilities, it cannot be said how he entered the canal or whether he did so with the intent to end his life.”

Sadly, Ms Palmer told the inquest notification that Umad would receive his own property arrived three weeks after he died.