Christopher Kapessa, 13, died after being pushed into River Cynon as a prank, coroner says
A 13-year-old boy died after he was deliberately pushed into a river, a coroner has said.
It comes after another boy, who was 14 at the time, insisted he did not push Christopher Kapessa into the River Cynon in Rhondda Cynon Taf on 1 July 2019.
Jayden Pugh, now 19, told South Wales Central Coroner’s Court in Pontypridd he accidentally “fell” into Kapessa on a ledge above the river.
However, assistant coroner David Regan found Christopher had drowned after he had been deliberately pushed in.
He gave the narrative conclusion on Monday after a two-week hearing.
Pugh “pushed Christopher into the water in a misplaced sense of fun, namely as a prank”, Mr Regan said.
Emergency services recovered Christopher from the water but he was later declared dead at the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.
Christopher’s mother, Alina Joseph, told the inquest her family had received racial abuse while living in the village of Hirwaun between 2012 and 2018.
Christopher Kapessa
Mr Regan concluded that Christopher had been “deliberately pushed into the back from behind”.
He added that Pugh’s actions “deprived Christopher of the opportunity to decide whether or not to enter the water”.
“I have no hesitation in finding that Christopher did not consent to being pushed into the river.”
Mr Regan described Christopher’s 2.5-metre fall from the ledge into the river.
The water was 2.5 metres deep and, according to Christopher’s mother, he was not a confident swimmer and began to panic and shout for help.
Other children present, including Pugh, jumped in and tried to save him.
Mr Regan said the children had “acted very courageously in doing so”.
Millie Morgan speaking to Sky’s Dan Whitehead
Christopher was a ‘proper joker’ and ‘shining star’
Millie Morgan, 18, jumped in to try and save Christopher.
She told Sky’s West of England and Wales correspondent, Dan Whitehead, that Christopher was “a shining star”.
“He’d walk in a room and everyone would be laughing. Like a proper joker,” she said.
“He was kind and funny and really good at football. He just brought joy.”
Ms Morgan said it was “supposed to be a nice day out with a group of friends”.
“I think I was the last to jump in because it’s obviously scary. You could see he was giving up and he couldn’t try anymore,” she added.
“When I jumped in, he went under. And I tried going under but obviously the water was just pitch black and green and freezing and it was so deep.”
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‘I cherish the memory of Christopher’
Speaking outside court after the inquest concluded, Ms Joseph paid tribute to her son.
“I cherish the memories of my son who was an incredible young boy,” she said.
“Christopher will always be remembered for bringing immense joy and happiness to me and to everyone he met.
“Despite his age, he was always thoughtful and sensitive, full of hope and undeterred by any obstacles placed in front of him.
“We deeply miss him. As a family, there’s nothing that we wouldn’t give to have just one more day with Christopher.”
Aerial view of the “red bridge” over the River Cynon
‘Deeply shocked’ community
The family’s lawyer Daniel Cooper said the Crown Prosecution Service now had an obligation to review its decision not to prosecute in the case.
Assistant Chief Constable Danny Richards said Christopher’s death “deeply shocked and affected many people in the local community”.
“Our thoughts remain with his family and friends who have had to re-live the terrible tragedy through the recent inquest proceedings,” he said.
“South Wales Police made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who have examined our initial response and investigation into the circumstances surrounding Christopher’s death.
“We hope that this independent scrutiny and the outcome of the inquest proceedings will give us a greater understanding of the issues which have been raised about this case.”
The IOPC published its findings on Monday after the inquest concluded.
It found “no grounds for any disciplinary proceedings to be brought against any of the officers involved”.
However, IOPC director David Ford said the watchdog found that “communication with Christopher’s family could and should have been handled better by South Wales Police”.
UK
Pictured: Boy killed in Gateshead industrial estate fire – 14 children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter
Tributes have been paid to 14-year-old Layton Carr who died in a fire at an industrial estate.
Eleven boys and three girls, aged between 11 and 14 years, have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the incident in Gateshead on Friday. They remain in police custody.
Police were alerted to a fire at Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area
Firefighters raced to Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area shortly after 8pm, putting out the blaze a short time later.
Police then issued an appeal for a missing boy, Layton Carr, who was believed to be in the area at the time.
In a statement, the force said that “sadly, following searches, a body believed to be that of 14-year-old Layton Carr was located deceased inside the building”.
Layton’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, police added.
Layton has been described as a ‘beautiful soul’
A fundraising page on GoFundMe has been set up to help Layton’s mother pay for funeral costs.
Organiser Stephanie Simpson said: “The last thing Georgia needs to stress trying to pay for a funeral for her Boy Any donations will help thank you.”
One tribute in a Facebook post read: “Can’t believe I’m writing this my nephew RIP Layton 💔 forever 14 you’ll be a massive miss, thinking of my sister and 2 beautiful nieces right now.”
Another added: “My boy ❤️ my baby cousin, my Layton. Nothing will ever come close to the pain I feel right now. Forever 14. I’ll miss you sausage.”
A third said: “Rest in peace big lad such a beautiful soul taken far to soon my thoughts are with you Gee stay strong girl hear for u always.”
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Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins, of Northumbria Police, also said: “This is an extremely tragic incident where a boy has sadly lost his life.”
She added that the force’s “thoughts are with Layton’s family as they begin to attempt to process the loss of their loved one”.
They are working to establish “the full circumstances surrounding the incident” and officers will be in the area to “offer reassurance to the public”, she added.
A cordon remains in place at the site while police carry out enquiries.
Sky News can reveal that the government has rowed back on a national compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse, despite it being promised under the previous Conservative administration.
Warning – this story contains references to sexual and physical abuse
A National Redress Scheme was one of 20 key recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), but a Home Office report reveals the government has scrapped it because of the cost.
Marie, who is 71, suffered alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at Greenfield House Convent in St Helens, Merseyside, between 1959 and 1962, and is still fighting for compensation.
Greenfield House Convent, where Marie says she was abused
As soon as she arrived as a six-year-old, Marie says her hair was cut off, her name changed, and she experienced regular beatings from the nuns and students.
She claims a nun instigated the violence, including when Marie was held down so that her legs were “spread-eagled” as she was sexually abused with a coat hanger.
Merseyside Police investigated claims of abuse at the convent, but in 2016, a suspect died before charges could be brought.
Marie has received an apology from the Catholic body that ran the home; she tried to sue them, but her claim was rejected because it was filed too long after the alleged abuse.
Marie, 71, is still fighting for compensation for the abuse she says she suffered as a child
In February, ministers said the law would change for victims of sexual abuse trying to sue institutions for damages, which was a recommendation from the IICSA.
Previously, people had to make a civil claim before they were 21, unless the victim could prove a fair trial could proceed despite the time lapse.
Campaigners argued for the time limit to be removed as, on average, victims wait 26 years to come forward. Changes to the 1980 Limitation Act could lead to more people making claims.
Peter Garsden, President of The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers
Civil cases ‘can take three to five years’
But Peter Garsden, president of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, worries that when it comes to historical abuse where the defendant is dead, institutions will still argue that it is impossible to have a fair trial and will fight to have the case thrown out of court.
Mr Garsden said it takes “between three and five years” for a civil case to get to trial.
He warned that claimants “can end up losing if you go through that process. Whereas the Redress Scheme would be quicker, much more straightforward, and much more likely to give justice to the victims”.
Victim awarded £10 compensation
Jimbo, who was a victim of abuse at St Aidan’s children’s home in Cheshire, took his case to the High Court twice and the Court of Appeal three times, but, after 13 years, all he ended up with was £10 for his bus fare to court.
Despite the Lord Justice of Appeal saying he believed that the abuse had occurred, Jimbo lost his claim because of the time limit for child sexual abuse claims to be made.
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Neither Marie nor Jimbo is likely to benefit from the removal of the time limit for personal injury claims, which is why Mr Garsden is calling on the government to implement a National Redress Scheme for victims of sexual abuse, as recommended by the IICSA.
Hundreds of millions paid to victims
The governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have set up compensation schemes and paid hundreds of millions of pounds to victims.
In 2023, the then Conservative government said a similar scheme would be organised for England and Wales.
But the Home Office admitted in its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse: Progress Update that it “is not currently taking forward any further steps on the IICSA proposal for a separate, national financial redress scheme for all survivors of child sexual abuse”.
“In the current fiscal environment, this recommendation is very difficult to take forward,” it added.
For victims, the scheme was the last chance of compensation for a lifetime blighted by abuse.
“The money is about justice and about all the other people who have had to suffer this abuse,” Marie said.
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