THE family of a young man who drowned in a York river say they will appeal against the date on his death certificate.

A coroner said he could not be sure when Jonathan Havron, from Huntington, had died, as he recorded an accidental verdict at the inquest into the death of the 18-year-old student, who drowned in the River Foss basin in York.

The date his body was found – March 10, 2010 – has been recorded on his death certificate. But Jonathan’s mother, Joanne Wigmore, said she would consult a solicitor to appeal against the decision, as evidence indicated Jonathan died on February 27.

Speaking after the hearing she said: “We want the day we know is right. I feel cheated for Jonathan.”

The inquest heard Jonathan had been on a night out when he became separated from his friends.

CCTV footage showed he was ejected from the Lowther pub in Cumberland Street after falling asleep.

The cameras then picked up the teenager, who was “staggering around as if drunk”, heading across the Castle car park towards fencing in its south-east corner by the Foss, Detective Sergeant Sarah Bestington told the inquest.

This footage, at 1.47am, was the last sighting of him.

Information provided by his mobile phone provider showed his phone was disconnected from the network at 2.30am.

But the phone “probably went in the water a short time before that”, Det Sgt Bestington said. Jonathan’s body was found in the Foss near Blue Bridge Lane by a fisherman on March 10.

Pathologist Ian Holbrook said levels of alcohol in Jonathan’s blood were the equivalent of drinking 12 tots of whisky or six pints of beer. Assistant deputy coroner David Liddell recorded a verdict of accidental death, and said “The body was found on March 10, 2010.”