Mothers pay tribute to ‘beautiful’ children who drowned off Bournemouth beach
The mothers of two children who drowned in Bournemouth have paid tributes to them at the start of an inquest into their deaths.
Sunnah Khan, 12, and Joe Abbess, 17, died after they were thought to have been caught in a riptide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort on 31 May last year.
Eight other people were treated by paramedics.
At Dorset Coroner’s Court in Bournemouth on Tuesday the families of the pair spoke about their loss.
Joe’s mother Vanessa said the family have been “devastated” by the loss of their “generous, loving, caring, hardworking and funny” son.
She said the trainee chef at Southampton Football Club was “a wonderful son, brother and friend and we are all devastated by his death, he is greatly missed”.
Joe Abbess. File pic: PA
In her statement to the inquest, Ms Abbess described receiving a call from her son’s friend, Nieve who “sounded very panicked and said there had been an incident in the sea involving Joe”.
“She [Nieve] said there were lifeguards and that they were trying to get Joe and Tom out of the water. She sounded hysterical,” she said.
Another friend, Anna, also called Ms Abbess to say “Joe was in the sea when the waves got crazy and that the alarm had been raised”.
Later a hospital consultant rang to tell her they “couldn’t do any more for Joe”. She added: “I was devastated and so shocked at this news, I fell to my knees and sobbed, I was on my own and utterly heartbroken”.
Stephanie Williams with her daughter Sunnah Khan. File pic: PA/Stephanie Williams
The inquest also heard from Stephanie Williams who described her daughter Sunnah as “kind, funny, reliable, smart and incredibly beautiful”.
“At her core Sunnah was kind, funny, reliable, smart and incredibly beautiful. Her smile lit up a room and her laugh was infectious.
“She cared about so many people and would do anything for her family and friends. She was a force of nature, to know her was to be truly lucky. We have missed her and will continue to miss her for the rest of our lives.”
Ms Abbess said the family was campaigning for improved education on sea safety in schools working with the RLSS UK (Royal Life Saving Society) in Joe and Sunnah’s memory.
“Joe always cared for others, so we want to do this for him,” adding that “we would like to see more education within schools about safe open-water swimming” and “knowledge of what to do in an emergency”.
Helicopters were deployed in the rescue operation in May 2023. File pic: Prof Dimitrios Buhalis
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On Monday, coroner Rachael Griffin ruled a pleasure cruiser was not involved in a “causative or contributory” way following the deaths.
Dorset Belle, a pleasure cruiser that ran trips from Bournemouth Pier, was impounded and a man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the deaths.
The cruise boat, Dorset Belle, was impounded in Dorset in June 2023. File pic: PA
But after consulting an expert, Dorset Police decided the boat’s movement did not contribute to creating dangerous sea conditions.
The force said the man would face no further action.
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Musk and Farage met in December. Pic: PA
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to it.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Devolution plans ‘denial of democracy’
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Elsewhere in the interview, he hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some local elections scheduled for May postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage, who is hoping to make gains in the spring contests, claimed the plans are not about devolution but about “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this month. Pic: PA
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt”, because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
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