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Oxford teen found dead after nightclub ejection and missing person case

Crime & justiceCrime
Key Points
  • Fintan Jack Feltham, 18, was found dead after going missing in Oxford in November 2024.
  • His death was ruled accidental due to drowning, with police and nightclub reviews highlighting missed opportunities.
  • The IOPC is investigating police handling, and his father calls for improved safety measures.

Fintan Jack Feltham vanished after calling his girlfriend and telling her a man attempted to 'rape' him, and was later found dead after drowning in a flooded park, according to major media reports. He was last heard from on November 27, 2024, and his body was found near Grandpont Recreation Park in Oxford several days later. According to police, Fintan was ejected from Plush nightclub at around 2:30 am on the night he went missing.

Fintan's girlfriend reported him missing to the police shortly before 4 am on November 27, 2024, and Thames Valley Police escalated his case from a fear for welfare to a missing person at 11:53 am that day. The cause of death was drowning, as reported by major media. Coroner Nicholas Graham pointed to Fintan being drunk, not having his glasses, and not knowing the area well as contributing factors to his death, according to major media.

Detective Constable Enya Lyons said that while an attack was 'possible', officers found no evidence of this in Fintan's case. According to police, Thames Valley Police missed a sighting of Fintan's body on a drone camera during the search. A review of licensing at Plush nightclub found staff 'missed some opportunities' to spot Fintan's deterioration earlier in the evening, as reported by major media.

Thames Valley Police said they conducted a 'thorough investigation' which found 'nothing that impacted the effectiveness of the initial response or the sad outcome in this case'. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is currently investigating a further request to review Thames Valley Police's handling of its reinvestigation into the case, and a complaint was lodged with the IOPC regarding Thames Valley Police's handling of the case, and it remains subject to appeal. Fintan's father said he hoped his son's legacy would lead to improved safety measures for nightclubs' handling of intoxicated persons, which the court was assured is being implemented, and he said he wanted to see action from the police so that it doesn't take so long for a missing person to be declared in the future.

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Oxford teen found dead after nightclub ejection and missing person case | Reed News