Man died from ‘cocaine effects’ at Oakdale Golf Course

Donovan Tanaka Mkutchwa, 26, was found dead on Oakdale Golf Course in Harrogate on Thursday, January 29.

Coroner Mark Armitage gave Mr Mkutchwa’s cause of death as being from the effects of cocaine.

He told Northallerton Coroners’ Court that Mr Mkutchwa’s body was identified by a police officer on the scene.

The coroner adjourned the inquest to a later date after the brief hearing on Tuesday (April 21).

Mr Mkutchwa’s family has described him as a “deeply loved son, brother and friend whose life was complex but whose character and potential should not be forgotten”.

A family spokesperson previously told The Press the death of Mr Mkutchwa, who grew up in Harrogate and attended Harrogate Grammar School, has left an “unimaginable void” in the lives of his loved ones.

Donovan Tanaka Mkutchwa as a schoolboy (Image: Family)

Speaking after the hearing on Tuesday, the family spokesperson said they “acknowledged that [Mr Mkutchwa’s] death has been attributed to cocaine use”, but added: “As a family, we do not consider the current explanation to be complete or sufficiently supported by the known circumstances.

“There remain material gaps in the factual narrative that require careful and thorough examination.

“In particular, there is no clear or coherent account of how [Mr Mkutchwa] came to be at the golf course, nor how he could have ingested a substance in a quantity said to be fatal without any apparent intervention, incident, or witness account in what is understood to be a public setting.”

The family spokesperson said there were also “specific factual matters that remain unexplained” such as Mr Mkutchwa’s personal items, including his phone, jacket and head covering, not being accounted for.

‘We will continue to engage fully with the inquest,’ says family

They added that Mr Mkutchwa’s clothing was found to be “heavily soiled with mud” when his body was found and there were “visible blood spots present on his t-shirt”.

“These are material factors that, in our view, require proper forensic consideration and explanation within the evidential record,” the family spokesperson said.

“Taken together, these issues raise legitimate questions about the sequence of events leading up to his death and whether all relevant circumstances have been fully established.

“We therefore expect that the inquest process will rigorously examine all available evidence, including toxicology, forensic findings, timeline reconstruction, witness testimony, and any potential third-party involvement, to ensure that no line of inquiry is left unexplored.

“We will continue to engage fully with the inquest and reserve our position pending the outcome of a comprehensive and evidence-based investigation.

“Our focus remains on establishing a clear and complete account of what occurred in the period leading up to our son’s death.”

They urged anyone with information about his death to contact North Yorkshire Police quoting reference number 12260017377.

Mr Mkutchwa’s death followed him being released from a four year and 10-month jail sentence which he received in May 2024 after pleading guilty to four drug dealing charges. He was arrested after being stopped by police in Harrogate in May 2023, when he was already serving a suspended sentence for drugs offences.

Current guidelines in England state that offenders sentenced to four years or more are eligible for release halfway or 40 per cent of the way through their sentence. Some serious offenders are released at the two-thirds point, according to the Sentencing Council.

The family spokesperson said that while Mr Mkutchwa “did have a run-in with the law in recent years”, he had “taken responsibility and paid for those offences through the court system”.

They said the family believes Mr Mkutchwa “was in a period of reflection and was working toward reshaping and rebuilding his life” before his death.

“Like many young people, mistakes can happen,” they said of Mr Mkutchwa’s jail sentence. “But those mistakes do not define the whole of a person’s life. Donovan had faced the consequences and was looking toward turning things around and moving forward.”

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