A STUDENT died two hours after cutting his head when he fell into a pond at a wedding reception.

Jonathan Williams was celebrating a friend's wedding at the Bolholt Hotel in Bury on Saturday night when the accident occurred.

Now, his mother, Mrs Frances Williams, has questioned the care he received at Bury General Hospital. She claims staff may have treated the 23-year-old as a "typical Saturday night pub drinker".

"Obviously, I will await the coroner's verdict but I feel more could have been done to help Jonathan," she said.

"I don't think anyone was monitoring his blood pressure and because he had been drinking I believe he was seen as a typical Saturday night drinker who had been injured."

Jonathan, of Henry Street, Prestwich, was preparing for his final year of a degree course in land valuation at Manchester College of Arts and Technology. He is believed to have gone outside the reception room at around 1.30am on Sunday for some fresh air.

He was found shortly afterwards in a dazed state. His clothes were soaked from his fall into the pond. Hotel staff administered first-aid to a cut on the back of Jonathan's head before he was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Walmersley Road, Bury.

Mrs Williams, who was this week being comforted at home by her two other children, said a police officer called in the early hours of Sunday informing her Jonathan was seriously ill in hospital. "By the time I got there Jonathan was already dead," she said. "I feel very guilty for not being there to care for him during his final hours."

Born in Manchester, Jonathan, who enjoyed music, football and travelling to Europe, was educated at St Anne's County Primary School in Crumpsall and at St Monica's High School in Prestwich.

After leaving school he worked at a number of local restaurants and shops and was working part-time at a clothes shop in Manchester at the time of his death.

"Jonathan loved life," added his mother, a midwife. "He spent most of his time in love and working and occasionally did a bit of study.

"He was always planning to do things with his life and enjoyed travelling, especially visiting Italy. His girlfriend's family live there and he has been treated like a son by them."

Jonathan and his girlfriend, Miss Patti Carbone (pictured), were planning to return to Italy later in the year.

Mr David Clements, hospital manager at Bury Health Care NHS Trust, stressed Jonathan was kept under close observation before being transferred to the emergency room when his condition deteriorated.

"Jonathan was seen by another doctor before he went into cardiac arrest," he added. "Full resuscitation was given. This is a very tragic matter but I can assure Jonathan's family that he received full medical care and attention as anyone would expect."

A funeral service will be held this morning at Our Lady of Grace RC Church in Prestwich followed by interment at Bury Cemetery. An inquest was opened and adjourned in Rochdale on Wednesday.

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