Latest news with #SwanseaCoroners'Court
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- Wales Online
Coroner 'very concerned' at lack of safety measures at Welsh beach where boy died
Coroner 'very concerned' at lack of safety measures at Welsh beach where boy died The coroner has questioned why more is not being done to prevent future incidents after David Ejimofor died after jumping into the water from a pier at Aberavon which is hidden out of sight and still remains without lifeguards Tributes which were left for David Ejimofor who died at Aberavon's small beach in June 2023 (Image: John Myers ) A coroner has criticised a safety and risk approach to a Welsh beach where a 15-year-old boy died. David Ejimofor died on Monday, June 19, 2023 after he'd jumped from the high pier, also known as the breakwater, alongside friends at Aberavon beach in Port Talbot who had been encouraging him to jump into the water that evening at around 7pm. David could not swim well and sank to the bottom of the seabed despite the best efforts of friends to keep him afloat. According to emergency services the boy, who had visited the beach with friends to celebrate the end of exam season, might have spent up to 10 minutes submerged in the water before he was pronounced dead shortly after 8pm despite the best efforts of members of the public and emergency services. The first day of the inquest heard David had Googled terms which suggested he was a swimming novice and he was clearly anxious and nervous about jumping from the pier into the water. According to witness evidence obtained by South Wales Police some of his friends had counted down to zero before jumping in and had then encouraged David to jump, telling him the water wasn't that deep. The second day of an inquest at Swansea Coroners' Court heard how the beach where David died continues to be marked by the RNLI and the local authority as of low-to-medium risk despite people still being allowed to run up and down the pier and jump into the water from height. The court heard that the current problem is that lifeguards do not man the small beach where the pier is situated and do not have a good view of the pier from their position on Aberavon's large beach further west, while teens and even children can easily climb over the gate installed by pier owner Associated British Port Holdings Ltd (ABP) at the pier. On Tuesday morning coroner Edward Ramsay told Peter Rooney, regional lifeguard lead for the RNLI in the west and Wales, that the coroner's duty is to consider prevention of future deaths. Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council pays the RNLI to operate a lifeguard service in the area on behalf of the council. Article continues below 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 ) The court heard the RNLI and the council have jointly decided the small beach in Aberavon does not currently need to be manned by lifeguards. Mr Rooney explained this decision was arrived at via a health and safety risk assessment drawn up by the University of Plymouth and used across the country which focuses on things like the number of people who go in the water on average and the strength of the tide. He explained: 'We cover the main Aberavon beach between the red and yellow flags. That's the primary area. The secondary area is outside the flags where we do roving patrols. We then have the tertiary area, which is normally located out of the line of sight which we don't patrol unless specifically requested to do so.' The court heard that the pier where David jumped from was in the tertiary area and no lifeguard would have been present. Mr Rooney confirmed at the time of David's death that the system was in place and it remains in place now. He explained where David died at the pier would be a 'significant area of travel' from where the RNLI would ordinarily be situated at the main beach. 'My guess would be half a mile at least,' he told Mr Ramsay. Mr Ramsay asked Mr Rooney: 'Was it known at the time of David's death that the pier at the small beach was being used as a potential means of jumping into the water?' Mr Rooney responded: 'It isn't an area we monitor regularly. We don't regularly monitor, patrol or review that area.' The family of David Ejimofor, who died after getting into difficulty in the water at Aberavon Beach, near Port Talbot visiting this site to look up Floral Tributes that have been left for their son (Image: John Myers ) Mr Rooney said on a recent site visit to the pier in Aberavon he saw people walking up and down it despite a locked gate which should prevent access but is so low people can easily climb over it and walk right to the edge. If people wanted to they could still jump in, Mr Rooney said. Mr Ramsay asked: 'Because it's a breakwater there is some calmer water there isn't there?' Mr Rooney agreed that was the case but said: 'It isn't anywhere near as popular as the main beach in Aberavon.' Mr Ramsay asked: 'Why hasn't the RNLI risk-assessed this and thought: 'In the summer months why don't we put a lifeguard there to cover people who might be using the breakwater inappropriately?'' Mr Rooney explained how since David's death the council has requested the RNLI run its own risk assessment on the small beach at Aberavon around the pier. He explained the RNLI academic risk assessment identifies hazards such as size of the tide, potential in-water population, conflicting activities and more. From that assessment a risk rating score is issued which determines the risk to users of the small beach at Aberavon is currently of low-to-medium risk. He said off the back of that the council and the RNLI jointly decided to continue to monitor the in-water population and provision of a lifeguard service at the beach would continue to be considered. As it stands the beach is still not manned by a lifeguard. Mr Ramsay said: 'You've got a breakwater there which is still being used. If people were to jump off it there is a risk. It isn't closed to all access. If someone jumps off it to the east, from a lifeguard's position at the main beach the lifeguard wouldn't be able to see them. You've got people paddleboarding to the east of that breakwater who you can't see with your binoculars. I'm struggling with this.' A popular member of his community and a supremely talented young man, David is missed by many (Image: John Myers ) Mr Rooney said: 'There are many beaches in Wales which are extremely busy beaches with a lot of activity which are not lifeguarded. Our operations have to stop somewhere. At certain points it becomes unsafe. There comes a point where our operations can't continue to go further and further without support. We would have to provide a significant increase in resources to that area to lifeguard that section properly.' Mr Ramsay asked: 'Can the RNLI write to ABP to say: 'You've really got to put higher gates on this thing?'" Mr Rooney said the RNLI works with the council to regularly review the beach including the pier in order to better understand the risk posed to people. Mr Ramsay asked: 'Isn't teenagers running up and down the breakwater and jumping off it all you need to see? What would make it any higher in risk?' Mr Rooney said: 'In-water population, size of the tide, style of beach. As the population increases the risk rating increases.' Why we cover inquests – and why it's so important that we do As painful as these proceedings are for those who have lost a loved one the lessons that can be learned from inquests can go a long way to saving others' lives. The press has a legal right to attend inquests and has a responsibility to report on them as part of their duty to uphold the principle of open justice. It's a journalist's duty to make sure the public understands the reasons why someone has died and to make sure their deaths are not kept secret. An inquest report can also clear up any rumours or suspicion surrounding a person's death. But, most importantly of all, an inquest report can draw attention to circumstances which may stop further deaths from happening. Should journalists shy away from attending inquests then an entire arm of the judicial system is not held to account. Inquests can often prompt a wider discussion on serious issues, the most recent of these being mental health and suicide. Editors actively ask and encourage reporters to speak to the family and friends of a person who is the subject of an inquest. Their contributions help us create a clearer picture of the person who died and also provides the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one. Often families do not wish to speak to the press and of course that decision has to be respected. However, as has been seen by many powerful media campaigns, the input of a person's family and friends can make all the difference in helping to save others. Without the attendance of the press at inquests questions will remain unanswered and lives will be lost. Article continues below Mr Ramsay responded: 'That seems to me to be quite a formulaic way of approaching the risk because the risk in this case seems to me to be the presence of the breakwater. The fact you can't see the other side of it from where you're located and the fact that we're here, to put it bluntly, after a young man lost his life. What else does the RNLI need to know? I'm very concerned in my role here. What if someone else drowns here this year?' Mr Rooney said: 'There is a risk inherent in every open environment. Trying to mitigate every risk is difficult.' Mr Ramsay replied: 'Of course, but it seems to me that going into the water from the beach, I presume, represents less of a risk than jumping into the water from a height into a depth of water you're unable to ascertain.' Mr Rooney replied: 'Yes sir.' The inquest continues.
Wales Online
19-05-2025
- Wales Online
Friends were ‘egging boy on' who jumped from pier before he died, inquest hears
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.' 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. '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.'' Article continues below 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. 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.' '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. '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. 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 ) 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. Article continues below '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.
