WESTERN BUREAU — A post-mortem has confirmed that Briton, Dean Pickering died as a result of drowning in Negril on Saturday night.

The 35 year-old man who arrived in the island with his 60 year-old sweetheart, Pauline Barber, on December 18 drowned at the Devine Destiny Hotel in the resort town’s West End after he had consumed a lot of alcohol.

It was two days before he should have returned home.

“The post-mortem was conducted at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay yesterday (Monday). The doctor is of the opinion that Mr Pickering drowned as a result of (the) excess alcohol (he consumed),” said Constable Damian Ricketts, Westmoreland’s Constabulary Communication Network officer.

According to the police, Pickering had been acting strangely since his arrival at the hotel and had consumed a lot of alcohol even as he ignored meals.

“What I was told is that he was consuming a lot of alcohol and besides that he was not eating. Even at the post-mortem, there was not much in his stomach,” Constable Ricketts told the Observer.

At about 11:00 pm Saturday, Pickering was reportedly seen consuming a quantity of liquor before he maDE his way to one of the hotel swimming pools for a swim.

A short time later his body was seen face down at the bottom of the pool by other guests. One of tHE guests retrieved the body and brought it to the surface.

The body was then taken to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital where Pickering was pronounced dead and later taken to Doyle’s Funeral Home in the parish.

The body is now at the Delapenha Funeral Home in Montego Bay and it will remain there until arrangements are made to have it expatriated to Britain.

“The body will be sent back to Britain. I am not sure when. That is for his (Pickering’s) insurance company to decide on and they are in touch with the funeral home,” Constable Ricketts told the, Observer.

Meanwhile, Pickerings 60 year-old sweetheart who takes care of old people for a living will return to Britain today.

The management at the nine-year-old Devine Destiny Hotel have in the meantime declined to comment on the drowning.

“We still have nothing (to say). The police are still coming here (and) they still encourage us not to say anything because the investigation is still going on,” said a woman at the company, who requested anonymity.