Mystery surrounds the death of a Chelmsford teenager who drowned in Sydney Harbour, Australia, just hours after telling relatives he was having the time of his life.

Curtis Lovejoy, 19, who holds dual Anglo-Australian nationality, went missing on the evening of Friday, February 26, and his body was discovered in Cockle Bay three days later.

An inquest is due to take place in the New South Wales capital, but police have ruled out suspicious circumstances and his body will shortly be flown home for burial at Great Baddow.

The former Baddow High School student was last seen leaving a harbour bar at about 11pm saying he had to get up early for work the next day. Anxious friends he had been sharing a flat with alerted police when he failed to appear.

Curtis, who emigrated last August wanting to start a new life, had been working as a hod carrier and according to his mother Liz Hardy, had made many new friends and was having a wonderful time. His father is Clive Lovejoy, from Galleywood.

Mrs Hardy licensee of The Star public house, Baddow Road, with husband John, said: "He was a very happy-go-lucky boy, the life and soul of the party, and had only phoned us earlier that day to say everything was going well.

"He loved it out there and said he never wanted to come back to England except for holidays and to see us.

Mrs Hardy added: "It's a real mystery to the police how he came to be drowned, but they have ruled out suspicious circumstances. A post mortem has been carried out for an inquest which hopefully will shed more light on the circumstances."

Her elder sons Brandon and Wayne, who also live in Chelmsford, said that if there was any suspicion over Curtis' death, they would fly out immediately to assist police.

Said Mrs Hardy: "My sons are also best friends and they are beside themselves with sorrow, none of us can believe this tragedy has occurred.

"It is my belief that Curtis must have tripped and fallen into the sea, he was a very good swimmer, but I know that the currents are very strong.

"It was raining at the time and it was dark and he may have fallen on rocks and not been able to swim to one of the ladders they have at the side of the harbour.

"He would not have had much to drink because he was in the bar for around half an hour before saying he had to have an early night."

The family have made arrangements to fly Curtis home once his body has been released by the Sydney coroner and he will be laid to rest at The Lawn cemetery, Great Baddow.

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