Man's Venice death 'an accident'

Richard Raynor had been on a three-day break with his girlfriend

A Briton found in Venice's lagoon after going missing on a Valentine's trip with his girlfriend drowned in an accident, Italian police said.

Richard Raynor, 23, of Retford, Notts, went missing on Thursday morning after a night out with Katie Robinson, 22, as the couple returned to their hotel.

His body was discovered under a bridge linking Venice lagoon to the mainland, the Foreign Office said.

The couple had been on a three-day break in the Mestre area of the city.

An Italian police spokeswoman said: "The post-mortem examination has taken place and shows he died of drowning.

"It appears to be an accident. There are no signs of it being a crime or that he hurt himself."

His father, William, flew to Venice and put fliers up across the city asking for information after his son disappeared.

Local police confirmed he formally identified his body late on Sunday night.

Ms Robinson, who is also from Retford, flew back to Britain on Friday.

In a statement released through Nottinghamshire Police, she and Mr Raynor's parents said: "We thank everyone for their concern and condolences and thank the Italian Police and British Consulate for their publicity and support in Venice."