Latest news with #KeeleighPlant
The Sun
07-05-2025
- The Sun
Teenage girl, 18, plunged 100ft to her death from cliff while trying to save pet cockapoo that chased after rabbit
A TEENAGE girl died after she tried to retrieve her dog from a cliff edge after it had chased after a rabbit, an inquest heard. Keeleigh Plant, 18, had taken her two pet cockapoo dogs for an afternoon walk with her boyfriend Oliver Griffiths when tragedy struck. 2 2 The dogs, named Bertie and Cooper, were off their leads at Hope Cove, south Devon, when they saw a wild rabbit and chased after it. Coroner's officer Jim Stein told an inquest at Exeter Coroner's Court yesterday: "One of the dogs did not come back on command so Keeleigh ran after the dog and sadly fell off the side of the cliff." She plunged 100 feet onto a rocky beach below and died from multiple injuries despite the best efforts of rescuers and people in the area to save her. Oliver said he had not walked this part of the coastal path before but Keeleigh had with her sister as she regularly exercised the pets over a five mile trek. He said the dogs were off their leads when they saw the rabbit and ran after it with Bertie running towards the cliff edge. "We were both trying to get them back," he said as they stepped over a low wooden railing near the edge. They grabbed Cooper and put him on his lead but Keeleigh was leaning over a few feet from the cliff edge trying to retrieve Bertie. Oliver could only partially see her but then she fell and he did not know if she had lost her footing or the cliff edge had crumbled. "I was not close enough to grab her," he said. A lady sitting on a bench nearby said she could hear Keeleigh 'calling the dog' and could see her bottom as she leaned over the cliff edge. "I did not hear her scream. She was not pushed," said the witness. She said the young couple were on the cliffs for ten minutes "trying to get the dog back". Police went to the scene and said the cliff edge was uneven and jagged but there were no suspicious circumstances. Keeleigh, from Galmpton, Devon, had been due to take a gap year before going to Winchester University to study finance when she died in May 2023. Her mother Pauline said Keeleigh was "quite a private person and home was her safe place" but was a good student who asked for additional school work. The area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Alison Longhorn recorded an accidental death conclusion. She said the teenager died while attempting to retrieve her dog adding: "This was a really tragic accident. "Sadly cliffs are dangerous places and people try to rescue their dogs without thinking of their own safety."
BBC News
06-05-2025
- BBC News
Devon woman died after fall while on dog walk, inquest hears
Woman died after falling from cliff on dog walk 7 minutes ago Share Save Share Save BBC Keeleigh Plant fell 100ft on to a rocky beach A Devon woman died after she tried to retrieve her dog from a cliff edge, an inquest has heard. Keeleigh Plant, from Galmpton, Devon, had been walking her two pet cockapoo dogs with her boyfriend one afternoon in May 2023 when she died. The 18-year-old and Oliver Griffiths were walking dogs Bertie and Cooper off their leads at Hope Cove, near Kingsbridge, when they began chasing a wild rabbit. Speaking at an inquest at Exeter Coroner's Court on Tuesday, coroner's officer Jim Stein said: "One of the dogs did not come back on command, so Keeleigh ran after the dog and, sadly, fell off the side of the cliff." 'Multiple injuries' Ms Plant plunged 100ft (30m) on to a rocky beach and died from multiple injuries despite the best efforts of rescuers and people in the area to save her, the hearing was told. Mr Griffiths said the dogs were off their leads when they saw the rabbit. They were "both trying to get them back" as they stepped over a low wooden railing near the edge, he told the inquest. They grabbed Cooper and put him on his lead but Ms Plant was leaning over a few feet from the cliff edge trying to retrieve Bertie. Mr Griffiths said he could only partially see her but then she fell and he did not know if she had lost her footing or the cliff edge had crumbled. "I was not close enough to grab her," he said. 'No suspicious circumstances' A lady sitting on a bench nearby said she could hear Ms Plant "calling the dog" and could see her bottom as she leaned over the cliff edge. "I did not hear her scream. She was not pushed," said the witness. She said the young couple were on the cliffs for 10 minutes "trying to get the dog back". Police went to the scene and said the cliff edge was uneven and jagged but there were no suspicious circumstances. 'Good student' Ms Plant had been due to take a gap year before going to the University of Winchester to study finance. Her mother Pauline said her daughter was "quite a private person and home was her safe place" but was a good student who asked for additional school work. Alison Longhorn, area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, recorded a conclusion of accidental death. She said the teenager died while attempting to retrieve her dog, adding: "This was a really tragic accident. "Sadly, cliffs are dangerous places and people try to rescue their dogs without thinking of their own safety." Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Teenage girl, 18, plunged off cliff and fell 100ft to her death trying to retrieve her cockapoo which was chasing a rabbit, inquest told
A teenager plunged to her death off a cliff edge while trying to retrieve her pet cockapoo after it began chasing a rabbit, an inquest heard on Tuesday. Keeleigh Plant had been walking her two pet cockapoo dogs with her new boyfriend one afternoon in May 2023 when the incident happened. Keeleigh, 18, and Oliver Griffiths were walking the dogs Bertie and Cooper off their leads at Hope Cove, south Devon, when they saw a wild rabbit and chased after it. Coroner's officer Jim Stein told an inquest at Exeter Coroner's Court: 'One of the dogs did not come back on command so Keeleigh ran after the dog and sadly fell off the side of the cliff.' She plunged 100 feet onto a rocky beach below and died from multiple injuries despite the best efforts of rescuers and people in the area to save her. Her boyfriend Oliver said he had not walked this part of the coastal path before but Keeleigh had with her sister as she regularly exercised the pets over a five-mile trek. He said the dogs were off their leads when they saw the rabbit and ran after it with Bertie running towards the cliff edge. 'We were both trying to get them back,' he said as they stepped over a low wooden railing near the edge. They grabbed Cooper and put him on his lead, but Keeleigh was leaning over a few feet from the cliff edge trying to retrieve Bertie. Oliver could only partially see her, but then she fell and he did not know if she had lost her footing or the cliff edge had crumbled. 'I was not close enough to grab her,' he said. A lady sitting on a bench nearby said she could hear Keeleigh 'calling the dog' and could see her bottom as she leaned over the cliff edge. 'I did not hear her scream. She was not pushed,' said the witness. She said the young couple were on the cliffs for ten minutes 'trying to get the dog back'. Police went to the scene and said the cliff edge was uneven and jagged, but there were no suspicious circumstances. Keeleigh, from Galmpton, Devon, had been due to take a gap year before going to Winchester University to study finance. Her mother Pauline said Keeleigh was 'quite a private person and home was her safe place' but was a good student who asked for additional school work. The area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Alison Longhorn recorded an accidental death conclusion. She said the teenager died while attempting to retrieve her dog adding: 'This was a really tragic accident. 'Sadly cliffs are dangerous places and people try to rescue their dogs without thinking of their own safety.'
