A DEVASTATED father told an inquest how he had flown out to Greece to see his son, after becoming concerned about his welfare.

But after his father arrived on the island of Zakyntos, teenager Adam Hunt drowned in the sea.

Alan Hunt told an inquest into his son's death, at Croydon Crown Court, how he had become worried after telephone conversations with Adam, 19.

Fighting back the tears, he said his son, of Beechway, Bexley, had been working for a company on Zakyntos selling tickets to people who wanted to play football.

He said: "I spoke to him on a regular basis while he was out there.

"There were strange conversations, when he made reference to being the son of God."

Mr Hunt said it had taken 12 hours and three separate flights to reach his son.

He told the inquest: "My first question was whether he had been drinking or taking drugs, and he said he had not."

On July 1 last year, in his apartment, Mr Hunt said his son had told him: "I want you to kill me and I want to kill myself."

An argument between them escalated into a scuffle in which Mr Hunt's sunglasses were knocked off, and his son ran from the room.

One of Adam's friends, Paul Sullivan, also spoke of the teenager's strange behaviour.

He said he had his his friend run from the apartment onto the beach.

He said: "He seemed to be very angry.

"He took off his clothes and went into the sea."

Mr Sullivan said he had tried to keep Adam in his sight.

He added: "A lifeboat raced towards me and pulled him out.

"I saw a crowd giving him first aid.

"Later I learned he had died."

The inquest was told a Greek pathologist had given the cause of death as drowning and had said he found no evidence of Adam being under the influence of any drink or drugs.

Croydon coroner Dr Roy Palmer recorded a verdict of accidental death and said there was no evidence that Adam had "deliberately set out to kill himself".