Friends were ‘egging boy on' who jumped from pier before he died, inquest hears

Wales Online

19-05-2025

Friends were 'egging boy on' who jumped from pier before he died, inquest hears
David Ejimofor died on Monday, June 19, 2023, the day he was celebrating the end of exams
David Ejimofor died on Monday, June 19, 2023 after he'd jumped from the high pier alongside friends at Aberavon beach in Port Talbot
(Image: South Wales Police )
Friends of a 15-year-old boy who died after he jumped from a pier into the sea at a Welsh beach had been 'egging him on', an inquest has heard. David Ejimofor died on Monday, June 19, 2023, after he'd jumped from the high pier alongside friends at Aberavon's small beach near the Victoria Road car park in Port Talbot.
The inquest being held at Swansea Coroners' Court heard how David, who was a gifted weightlifter and track athlete but couldn't swim well, had told his friends on the day that he wasn't confident he would be able to swim if he jumped into the water but, according to eyewitness fisherman Luke McDonald who was a couple of hundred yards away from the group of teenagers, his friends shouted words to the effect of: 'Come on – jump in. You'll be fine. It's not deep.'
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When the St Joseph's Comprehensive School boy, who had been celebrating the end of exam season on the day he died, jumped into the water he immediately began 'thrashing about', Mr McDonald said in a statement read to the court by coroner Edward Ramsay.
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'There were around eight or nine boys in total,' Mr McDonald said in his statement. 'I could hear one boy say he couldn't swim and he didn't seem sure about going in. He was well-built with dark dreadlocks and I think he had black swim shorts.
'All the boys other than him jumped into the sea. He was still standing on the pier. I remember them egging him on. They were saying words to the effect of: 'Come on – jump in. You'll be fine. It's not deep.'
'I then saw him jump in. He was not pushed or forced in. As he jumped in I was watching to make sure he was okay as I heard him say he couldn't swim. I saw thrashing around a bit. I saw some others grab him and keep him afloat. He looked like he had support. I turned back to my fishing rod. I then heard them say they couldn't see him. I heard someone shout: 'I can't see Dave.''
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A popular member of his community and a supremely talented young man, David is missed by many
(Image: John Myers )
The news of David's death rocked the local school community in Port Talbot in 2023
(Image: John Myers )
A number of people rushed to the boy's aid including some of his friends who struggled to hold him up out of the water. The court had heard how David, who had gone viral on TikTok for his weightlifting prowess, was heavier than a typical 15-year-old and had a bodybuilder's diet. One teenager who had been trying to help David stay out of the water was physically 'exhausted', the inquest heard.
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A number of paddleboarders and swimmers rushed to rescue David from the water with the help of a life ring which had been thrown into the water from the pier. Tyler Rowland, an off-duty police officer at the beach paddleboarding at the time, told the court he saw around seven teens in the distance in the water close to the pier.
Minutes later detective constable Rowland said he 'saw a commotion involving the teens I'd previously seen'. He said he could see 'two or three of them heading towards the shore while the remainder of the group were halfway out at the pier'. DC Rowland said: 'I remember hearing one of them say: 'He's gone.' I paddled towards them and some of them told me someone had gone under the water and hadn't come up.
'Two or three of the boys, aged around 15 and 16, were in the water and were shaken up and treading water. One of them said something like: 'He's a big boy and he can't swim.' They were in real panic. A teenage girl was screaming at them: 'Look for him, look for him.'
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'I took a breath and dived straight down. I felt the floor and realised it was not as deep as I thought. I came back up to take another breath and try again. One of the teenagers was also diving down as well.
'I dived down and was searching the floor with my hands. It was completely dark and I couldn't see anything. My hands hit what I thought was a rock at first. I then was convinced it was the top of an arm. I was on the sea floor at this point and the male was flat on the seabed.
'I put my arms under his armpits and put my feet to the seabed and pushed up with all my strength off the floor. He was very heavy and not moving at all.
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'We put the ring over his head and put his arms out of the ring either side. He was completely limp and kept sliding out of the ring. He was motionless. I told the boys: 'Grab the ring and swim as far as you can.' They were exhausted.'
Katie Morgan was training in the water at Aberavon at the time for an upcoming Ironman event alongside her husband Neil and friends Ian and Amy Saunders and Barry Gregory. She said she saw DC Rowland and a teenager trying desperately to swim out of the water while holding David who was inside the ring. 'I could see the male being held up was unconscious,' she said. 'We got him onto the sand area and a few others pulled him further up the beach. Amy, a nurse, and the off-duty police officer (DC Rowland) started giving chest compressions. Another two police officers arrived and then paramedics arrived.'
Police constable Lewis Evans and police constable Gethin Horler-Clee told the court they arrived when David and eyewitnesses were knee-deep in the water. The officers helped take David further up the beach as the tide was coming in before placing him on a paddleboard and delivering further compressions and using a defibrillator.
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PC Horler-Clee said he took a number of eyewitness statements. To his knowledge at the time 'friends had jumped into the water and David followed them in doing so despite not being able to swim'.
Paramedic Barry Edwards said according to witness reports David had been under the water for 10 minutes. He said two shocks were administered using the defibrillator and advanced life support was provided at the scene before David was pronounced dead at 8.05pm.
David's parents Alex and Maria Ejimofor visiting tributes that were left for their son at Aberavon beach
(Image: John Myers )
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The family of David Ejimofor, who died after getting into difficulty in the water at Aberavon Beach, near Port Talbot, visiting foral tributes and messages of support
(Image: John Myers )
Swansea University pathologist Dr Williams noted: 'Witnesses say all males except for David were completing a series of jumps from the pier. Two of the males shouted to David join them and he said he wasn't a good swimmer. They explained they would help him. When David jumped into the water they began to assist him and they were being pulled below water. Members of the public had become aware and a life ring was thrown to David and members of the public began to dive down to try and retrieve him. He was brought to the surface and placed on a paddleboard while CPR was commenced. Despite the efforts by all involved he was declared deceased at the scene." Dr Williams advised a medical cause of death as 1A: drowning.
David's parents Maria and Alex Ejimofor arrived at the beach before they were conveyed alongside their son to Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend. Maria told the court her son wasn't a strong swimmer and she and her family were 'shocked' to hear he had jumped into the water from the pier.
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'We would frequently go to the beach as a family,' she said. 'I never saw him paddle further than up to his knees or thighs. He was not a risk-taker. He would not put his head in the open water. He was fully aware that he was not the strongest of swimmers. He was particularly cautious around open water.'
Paying tribute to David she said he was a 'bright and curious soul who always had a smile on his face'. She added: 'He was honest, caring, intelligent, polite, independent, hardworking, full of life, respectful, and a beautiful young boy who had achieved so much in his 15 years. David was a beacon of positivity and resilience. He brought joy and laughter and his memory will remain in the hearts of those fortunate to have known him. His spirit inspires us to find strength in the most difficult moments.'
As well as being an avid weightlifter with a big social media following around that David was a highly skilled 100m sprinter as well as excelling in long jump, high jump, and shot put. He had also performed well at school, particularly in French and maths, and he played the piano with 'melodies which touched our hearts', his mother said.