Extreme yoga fanatic drowned in quarry trying to catch hypothermia to achieve ‘enlightenment’ through near-death experience



Spiritualist Luke Monrose, 27, hoped he would achieve enlightenment

Mother said son was 'trying to prove something to others' in 'unselfish act'

She paid tribute to her 'funny, brave and gentle' eldest child

Coroner says experiment went 'tragically wrong' in recording verdict



Spiritualist: Luke Monrose, 27, was found drowned after his bid to secure enlightenment went tragically wrong

An extreme yoga fanatic drowned in a quarry after an experiment to achieve enlightenment through a 'near-death experience' went tragically wrong, an inquest has heard.

Spiritualist Luke Monrose believed that by pushing his body to its limits and catching hypothermia he could 'unlock the secrets of the afterlife'.

The 27-year-old hoped to see the future, acquire psychic powers and enjoy an out-of-body experience - known as astral projection - by nearly dying.

But his risky experiment went tragically wrong and a coroner today ruled Mr Monrose 'died as a consequence of a near-death experience which resulted in physical death'.

The inquest heard the popular and sporty youngster became obsessed with near-death experiences, meditation and spirituality.

Before plunging into a flooded clay pit in St Austell, Cornwall - wearing a life jacket and goggles - Mr Monrose submerged himself in the bath to practise.

His body was discovered in the pit two days later.

Cornwall's Coroners' Court heard Mr Monrose was obsessed with aliens and theories about the afterlife, as well as being an avid follower of conspiracy theorist David Icke.

He told his mother he was meeting friends for a drink but revealed his true plan to younger brother Daniel, 26.

His sibling agreed to give their mother a note explaining his actions if he failed to return by midday on May 18.

Luke failed to come back and, after his family raised the alarm, police divers found his body at the remote Lantern Pit.

Near-death experiment: Police divers discovered Mr Monrose's body in the disused clay bit at St Austell in Cornwall. He was wearing a life jacket and goggles

Distraught mother Susan Monrose, 59, told the hearing on Tuesday she was convinced her son never meant to harm himself.



'The intent was not to die, but to have a near-death experience, but it went wrong... It was a very unselfish act because he was trying to prove something to other people'

- Susan Monrose

She said: 'He knew he was going to do something that endangered his life. But this wasn’t suicide and he wasn’t suffering with a mental illness.

'The intent was not to die, but to have a near-death experience, but it went wrong.

'He made absolutely sure I knew where to find him. He was brave and silly and he was thinking about me.

'He wasn’t unhappy. It was a very unselfish act because he was trying to prove something to other people.

'I didn’t want anyone thinking he had killed himself on purpose. He was funny, brave and gentle and his spirit will never die.'

Luke enjoyed football and snooker at school and had plenty of friends in Rescorla, the small Cornish village where the family live.

Tragic accident: A coroner ruled the 27-year-old yoga fanatic died when his near-death experiment went tragically wrong, and 'caused physical death'

But after leaving school he became withdrawn, reclusive and spent all his time reading books on meditation and spirituality.

Ms Monrose told the hearing: 'I told him he should get out more, get a girlfriend and go to the pub and get drunk, but he wasn’t interested.

'He read books on people that have had near-death experiences and came back with a new sense of purpose.

'Luke intended to be one of those people and to say "It’s OK, we don’t die, we carry on". That’s what he intended to do. He took it to the extreme.'

In a statement read out in court, Daniel, his brother, said: 'It’s my belief that Luke thought he was on this Earth to change the fate of the planet for the better.

'Luke and I weren’t scared of death as we know that our consciousness is separate from our physical bodies.'

Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Emma Carlyon said Luke 'died as a consequence of a near-death experience which resulted in physical death'.