A 'RESPECTED and well-liked' aerospace engineer drowned in the sea after getting lost on his way home from a night out celebrating St Patrick's Day with friends, an inquest has heard.

Nitin Woocheet, from Southsea, Hampshire, who worked for Airbus Defence and Space, had drunk about three pints of Guinness and several Jagermeister shots during the evening of March 17 last year.

But an inquest at Portsmouth Coroner's Court heard that as the 26-year-old, who was originally from Mauritius, left his colleagues after drinking in pubs in Southsea, he became disorientated and was seen on CCTV stumbling and falling before arriving at the seafront.

Two friends sitting in their car saw Mr Woocheet fall on to the pebbles on the beach before later hearing cries coming from the sea.

Jade Simmons said: "The last shout I heard sounded like someone had taken on water and it was a gargling sound."

Ms Simmons and her friend informed a paramedic who was in his parked car nearby and he alerted the Coastguard.

An extensive search was launched but Mr Woocheet's body was not found until more than a month later when it was spotted floating in sea off Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight.

Pathologist Dr Adnan Al-Badri said tests on Mr Woocheet's liver showed that he had been drinking but had not taken any drugs.

He said the cause of his death was most likely to be drowning and added that the effect of the alcohol meant his body would have been very quickly overwhelmed by the water.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Coroner David Horsley said: "We do not know why he took the route he did; the only thing I can speculate is he lost his bearings, he had quite a lot to drink and was probably confused. Why he ended up on the seafront we do not know.

"I think what has happened is Nitin has been staggering more and more and getting more and more disorientated. He's got on to the beach, he's ended up going into the sea with the sad result that he has drowned.

"I do not think Nitin has deliberately gone into the water, I think it's happened because he has been disorientated and drunk in a cold, dark place."