‘I loved him and knew him since he was a little boy’: Ex-boxer Michael Watson – whose life was saved by Britain’s top neurosurgeon – reveals his heartbreak at drowning death of doctor’s 24-year-old son

• Exclusive: Michael Watson ‘in shock’ after sudden death of Dominic Hamlyn
• Mr Hamlyn, 24, died during swim at family home in village of Crundale in Kent
• Mr Watson said: ‘I’m heartbroken. I loved him and knew him since he was a boy’
• Father Peter Hamlyn paid tribute to ‘hero’ who was ‘one of the world’s helpers’ 
• Dominic had been competing in both rugby and rowing at Cambridge University
• He ran the London Marathon in 2014 inspired by boxer Michael’s 2003 run   
• Dominic said five years ago: ‘ I swore when I was old enough I would run it; in the words of Michael, “for the benefit of others less fortunate than me”.’
• Were you at the party or would like to pay tribute to Dominic? Email [email protected] or [email protected] 

Ex-champion boxer Michael Watson is ‘heartbroken’ after the son of the neurosurgeon who saved his life died suddenly in an outdoor swimming pool and told MailOnline today: ‘I loved the boy’.

Mr Watson had known Dominic Hamlyn since the Cambridge student was eight and first met him when he completed the London Marathon in six days in 2003.

Dominic’s father Peter saved Michael’s life after he operated on a blood clot formed on his brain minutes after his world title fight with Chris Eubank in 1991 and was at his patient’s side throughout his 26.2mile miracle run 16 years ago.

The 24-year-old died in the early hours of Sunday after taking a swim at the end of his brother’s 21st birthday party at the £3.5million family home in Crundale, near Canterbury, Kent.

Last night his father Peter said he has been left ‘broken’ after the death of his ‘hero’ son and revealed he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Today Michael Watson paid tribute to his surgeon’s eldest child, who himself completed the London Marathon in 2014 for brain and spine injury because he ‘swore when I was old enough I would run it’ because of the boxer’s own inspirational journey.

Mr Watson told MailOnline today: ‘I’m heartbroken. I loved him and knew him since he was a little boy. I’m praying for Peter and his family. I was so touched that he was inspired to run the London Marathon because of me and help improve the lives of others’.

Champion boxer Michael Watson ran the London Marathon with his neurosurgeon Peter Hamlyn in 2003 and today paid tribute to his son Dominic who died suddenly on Sunday. He ran the marathon with England rugby star Tom Croft in 2014  (together right)

Peter Hamlyn revealed yesterday that his son swam just two lengths before sinking to the bottom of the pool, and that was ‘almost sober’ and had not taken any drugs.  

Paramedics were called at 3.30am on Sunday and the Cambridge University student was taken to hospital where he died.

Mr Hamlyn said: ‘We are broken. If he is to be remembered it is as a hero and one of the world’s helpers.’ 

Dominic had a first class degree in astrophysics from University College London and was studying for a Masters in philosophy from the University of Cambridge.

His father Peter is a celebrated neurosurgeon who became a household name after saving the life of boxer Michael Watson, who suffered a blood clot formed on his brain minutes after his world title fight with Chris Eubank in 1991.  

Dominic ran the London Marathon in 2014 and raised more than £5,500 for Britain’s Brain & Spine Foundation charity and was pictured with Leicester and England rugby star Tom Croft.

He wrote on his fundraising page how he had been inspired to do it because of his father and his famous patient Michael Watson.   

He said: ‘When I was a young boy I helped my father fund raising. He he and his patient, the injured boxer Michael Watson, along with his carer Lenny, walked the London marathon for the Brain and Spine Foundation. It took them six days and I swore when I was old enough I would run it; in the words of Michael, ‘for the benefit of others less fortunate than me’. 

One of Britain’s top neurosurgeons has paid tribute to his ‘beautiful’ son who suffered a sudden heart attack in an outdoor swimming pool at his brother’s 21st birthday party

Dominic Hamlyn was visiting his home outside the village of Crundale, Kent, when suffered a heart attack in the outdoor swimming pool. He is the son of neurosurgeon Peter Hamlyn (right)

Dominic got into difficulties in the family’s swimming pool (circled) in the grounds of his father’s Kent mansion

Just 15 minutes before he entered the pool, the promising student had delivered a speech praising his brother. 

Speaking of his ‘beautiful boy’, Mr Hamlyn said: ‘There is no mystery, there were no drugs.

What is Sudden Death Syndrome? 

Sudden Death Syndrome is the name given to heart attacks in seemingly fit and healthy young people.

It has a number of causes including heart defects or inflammation of the heart muscle.

Being sporty does not cause cardiac arrest itself but can exacerbate an underlying problem.

In March 2012, Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch during Tottenham’s FA Cup quarter-final against Bolton.

The Bolton midfielder, then 24, ‘died’ for 78 minutes after his heart stopped, but he was saved by 15 defibrillator shocks.

‘He was swimming in his swimming trunks, almost sober. He had just spoken for 15 minutes without notes. He completed two lengths and then sank to the bottom.

‘It was his youngest brother’s 21st and shortly after giving a brilliant speech about him, Dominic went swimming with friends.

‘He was immediately pulled from the water and a medical student started performing CPR until I came a minute later to take over.’

Mr Hamlyn confirmed that an ambulance had arrived promptly and his son was stabilised and rushed to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent.

‘Two consultants worked on him throughout the night,’ he added in a statement.

‘A specialist team came from St Thomas to put him on a bypass. He died last night despite all their efforts. There will be an inquest but he clearly had a heart attack – a brain scan ruled out a haemorrhage. Their brilliance at resuscitation is our only comfort.

‘Why did he die? He was a superb athlete competing in both rugby and rowing at Cambridge.

‘It is called Sudden Death in Athletes or sometimes Sudden Athlete Death – SAD. It is a rare often fatal cardiac syndrome. What the footballer [Fabrice Muamba] had and survived. Not our beautiful, beautiful boy.

‘We are broken. If he is to be remembered it is as a hero and one of the world’s helpers.’

He added: ‘In my village five young children have just lost their mother to a brain tumour, one family cares for their daughter permanently disabled by a head injury. One of my best friends lost his dad to a stroke. My baby cousin, Maria, died of a disorder that stopped her brain developing’.

He said he wanted to raise money and awareness of neurological disorders, adding that ‘dementia was darkening the life of several neighbours.’

Dominic Hamlyn (pictured left and right) had enjoyed academic success studying astrophysics at University College London and then on to Cambridge for a Masters in philosophy

Peter Hamlyn’s eldest son is keen sportsman was one of the stars of UCL’s Varsity winning rugby team in 2017. 

A light-hearted description of him in UCL’s student newspaper The Tab said at the time: ‘With the physique of Eric Pickles, belligerence of Nigel Farage and the loyalty of Michael Gove, Dom hopes to power UCL to victory to finally record a noteworthy achievement at University and step out of his father’s shadow’. 

A spokesman for Kent Police said: ‘Police were called to a house in Crundale, Canterbury at 3.37am on Sunday following an incident in a swimming pool where a man was found unconscious. The man was taken to hospital where he later died.

‘Police are investigating the circumstances around the incident and at this stage the man’s death is being treated as unexplained.’   

Dominic Hamlyn was visiting his isolated home in the tiny village of Crundale, Kent, when he got into difficulties in the outdoor swimming pool.

Emergency ambulance crews rushed to the sprawling home after 999 calls reporting the potential drowning just after 3.30am on Sunday morning. 

Paramedics found Dominic unconscious beside the swimming pool and began attempting to save his life with CPR.

The talented student, who was also an amateur rugby player, was rushed by an ambulance to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford where he was pronounced dead.

Dominic, the eldest child of world class neurological and spinal surgeon Peter Hamlyn who specialises in elite sports injuries, originally studied at University College London where he received a First Class Honours degree in science and engineering.

The alarm was raised at 3.30am today after it was believed the young man drowned during party at the huge isolated home, in Crundale, Kent (pictured)

Following in his father’s footsteps, the Spanish speaking budding entrepreneur was elected sports officer during his undergraduate degree representing the sporting interests of more than 40,000 students before going on to study a Masters degree in Philosophy at the world-renowned University of Cambridge. 

A pathologist will carry out a post-mortem examination on Dominic’s body to ascertain the exact cause of his death, within the next few days.  

The coroner in Canterbury confirmed that details of Dominic’s death had been passed to them and that an inquest would be opened and adjourned in the near future.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: ‘Police were called to a house in Crundale, Canterbury at 3.37am on Sunday following an incident in a swimming pool where a man was found unconscious. The man was taken to hospital where he later died’

Almost 30 years ago, Dominic’s father, consultant neuro-surgeon Peter Hamlyn, carried out life-saving operations on the former Commonwealth middleweight boxing title holder Michael Watson after a blood clot formed on his brain minutes after his world title fight with Chris Eubank.

Mr Hamlyn performed five live-saving operations on the near-fatal blood clot on the boxer’s brain and his survival is now regarded as a ‘medical miracle.’

A spokesman for University College London said of Dominic Hamlyn this afternoon: ‘We are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the death of a much-loved and talented member of our alumni community. 

‘Our thoughts are with all of his family and friends at this difficult time.’ 

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