Joseph William Thompson

Joseph William Thompson was found in the dock at Swan Hunter's Shipyard at Wallsend on Sunday 5 April 1959.

It was thought that he had been in the river for about three weeks. He was found lying in the dock between HMS Defence and the quayside.

He was unemployed and of no fixed abode.

The police said that at the time he went into the water that he had been the subject of an arrest warrant issued by Sunderland magistrates.

When he was pulled out of the water his clothing was found to be in order and no marks were found on his body other than a bruise to the right side of his skull.

The pathologist that carried out his post mortem said that in his opinion his cause of death had been due to drowning but noted that the bruise to the right side of his skull could have been caused by a blunt instrument.

When the Coroner asked the pathologist 'Could it have been a blow from a blunt instrument', the pathologist said, 'I think it was probably a blow against some flat object because there was no tearing of the skin or fracture of the skull. It must have been something very blunt'.

Joseph Thompson's brother-in-law, who lived in Holly Street, Jarrow, identified Joseph Thompson's body but noted that he had not seen him for about two and a half years. He said that although he hadn't seen him, he believed that Joseph Thompson had been lodging in houses in the district.

After hearing the evidence an open verdict was returned.