Student, 19, shouted for help for 20 minutes as he drowned after night out

Student, 19, shouted for help for 20 minutes as he drowned after night out Evan Geoffrey d'Andilly, 19, drowned in the River Ouse in York after a night out with friends in the city on March 5 last year A student who drowned in a river stayed afloat for 20 minutes while shouting for help that did not arrive in time, an inquest has heard. Evan Geoffrey d'Andilly, 19, entered the River Ouse from the nearby Ouse Bridge in York following a night out with friends in the city on March 5 last year. North Yorkshire Coroner's Court was shown CCTV footage of Evan, from Scunthorpe, calling for help in the freezing water as a police officer on the bank reassured him that help was on the way. He could be seen moving his arms in the water as officers shone torches towards him. Tragically, Evan disappeared beneath the surface before a rescue boat reached the scene. Evan - who was studying business management at the University of York at the time of the incident - died just four days before his 20th birthday. The inquest was told that Evan entered the water at around 3.03am and that police arrived within two to three minutes. An officer threw a life ring into the water to reach Evan, who was in the middle of the 41-metre-wide river, but was unsuccessful, the court heard. Evan’s mother, Lorraine d'Andilly, told a previous inquest hearing that the available riverside rescue equipment - 18-metre reach poles and 20-metre throw lines - was unsuitable and stood no chance of reaching him, meaning "Evan lost a substantial chance of survival". Fire crews were notified at 3.09am, with appliances from Acomb and York fire stations arriving by 3.14am and 3.18am respectively, the court was told. However, the inquest heard that North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service's boat was stationed in Selby and did not arrive until 3.37am - 14 minutes after the last sighting of Evan. In a statement read to the court, a fellow student and friend of Evan said they had been drinking in the city centre and walking together when all of a sudden "Evan had gone over the bridge", adding that there was "no indication" he was going to fall. The volunteer-run York Rescue Boat, moored at King’s Staith near where Evan was in the water, was the closest vessel capable of a water rescue and could reach locations quickly. However, Ms d’Andilly said the charity boat was not called immediately. In police bodycam footage played in court, PC Grace Sylvester, who shouted advice to Evan as he tried to stay afloat, said: "It’s a city river. Why is it taking this long [for the rescue boat to arrive]?" Asked by Ms d'Andilly if the rescue equipment was fit for purpose, PC Sylvester said: "On occasions it’s worked. On occasions it hasn’t worked." Sergeant Daniel Stubbs, who was the acting police inspector on the night of Evan’s death, told the court both York Rescue Boat and the fire service’s rescue boat had been requested to attend the scene. However, he said he was unaware that the fire service’s rescue boat was not based in York. The inquest heard that North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service relies on York Rescue Boat for water rescues in York, as the fire service’s nearest rescue boats are based in Selby and Malton. Ms D’Andilly questioned why York Rescue Boat was not alerted immediately by the fire service when it was told about the incident, rather than after Evan had already been in the water for 10 minutes. She said her son had "fought for another 10 minutes" to stay afloat. "He did everything he could to survive," Ms D’Andilly said, adding: "I will never understand how a safety protocol can be so flawed." Ben Illsley, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s director of operational support and assurance, told the inquest that there are "no plans" to move the fire service’s rescue boat from Selby to York in the next four years. He also said that if the rescue boat was moved to York, it would take one to two years for the fire service’s staff to be trained to use it. Ms d'Andilly described her son as "kind" with a "gentle nature" and called his death "incredibly senseless" and a "tragedy". She said: "I still struggle to believe that Evan is gone from this world - that I will never see him again. It’s hard to believe that my little water baby died from drowning." Evan’s father, Gordon d'Andilly, described his son as someone who was "full of life" and "got on with everyone really well". A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "The death of Evan d'Andilly is tragic and our thoughts remain with his family and friends. North Yorkshire Police will fully support the inquest, and we will await the conclusion before commenting further." The inquest continues. The Mirror has launched the Save Lives For Sam water safety campaign to tackle the UK's growing drowning crisis. Backed by MPs, Olympic champions, national water safety organisations and bereaved families, the campaign is calling for urgent action to make our waters safer. That includes compulsory water safety lessons in schools, a nationwide public awareness campaign, better lifesaving equipment at high-risk waterways, the introduction of Sam's Law, and a dedicated Minister for Water Safety. Find out more about the campaign and how you can support it here.