Royal Navy sailor who was found dead in Sweden after a night out with crew members 'choked to death' due to alcohol poisoning

A Royal Navy sailor who was found dead in Sweden after a night out with crew members choked to death due to alcohol poisoning, an inquest has heard. 

Dominic Twaites, 26, was found dead ata flat in Stockholm following a night out with his crewmate and four Swedish men on May 14 last year.   

All the men, including the fellow British serviceman Max Kimber, were later arrested on suspicion of murder. 

But an inquest in Mr Twaites' hometown of Hereford, found that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, The Sun reported. 

Herefordshire coroner Mark Bricknell said the young man's death was accidental, adding that he died due to 'aspiration of his gastric contents and poisoning causing reduced consciousness'.

Mr Twaites and Mr Kimber had been onboard HMS Albion for the Aurora 23 defence exercise in Sweden, which took place between April 17 and May 11.

Warrant Officer Lynsay Wilkie, was acted as the marine engineers' coordinator onboard HMS Albion told the inquest that the crew were permitted to go ashore once the drills had ended. 

She added the sailors were required to report back at 10am the next day or let a senior officer know where they were by that time. One member of each group was also required to remain sober in order to safeguard other crewmates.

When Mr Twaites and Mr Kimber failed to make contact by the designated time Ms Wilkie and another colleague went looking for them. 

She was informed by Swedish police at 2pm that Mr Twaites had died and was then invited to the police station to speak with Mr Kimber shortly after he was arrested. 

He was later released and told Ms Wilkie, his fellow sailor had 'choked on his own vomit', she told the inquest. 

The purpose of the Aurora 23 training exercise was to increase the ability to deal with an armed attack on Sweden.

The Swedish Armed Forces said that Aurora 23 was the largest national exercise of its kind in more than 30 years. The RAF and British Army were also involved in the drills.

The three-week exercise involved more than 26,000 people from the Swedish Army, Swedish Navy, Swedish Air Force, Home Guard and servicemen from 14 other countries.

HMS Albion, one of the Royal Navy's two amphibious assault ships, arrived in Sweden fresh from training drills known as Joint Viking 23 in Norway in March last year.