AN INQUEST opening has heard that emergency service delays may have contributed to the deaths of 12-year-old Sunnah Khan and 17-year-old Joe Abbess, who drowned off Bournemouth beach.
Sunnah and Joe died after a tragic incident on Bournemouth beach earlier this year.
The incident prompted a multi-agency emergency service response on May 31, when a total of 11 people got into difficulty in the water.
Read more: Council increases safety measures after beach deaths
Sunnah and Joe later died in hospital despite efforts from emergency services.
The remaining eight casualties were retrieved from the water and were treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.
At an inquest opening earlier this year, Dorset coroner Rachael Griffin, determined the provisional cause of death for Sunnah and Joe was death by drowning.
It was revealed at a pre-inquest review that delays from emergency services may have contributed to the incident on Bournemouth beach.
The review, which was held today (September 18, 2023) at Bournemouth Town Hall, determined that life guards witnessed a ‘group of people in difficulty in the water’ at 3.46pm but it took seven minutes before RNLI assistance was requested.
Joe was recovered at 4.18pm but Sunnah was not retrieved from the water until 4.45pm, an hour after she was reported to have gotten into difficulty.
Read more: 'Water safety must be improved' after two children drown
Sunnah’s mother and father, Ms Williams and Mr Khan, have requested details on what was being done by emergency services during this time.
Shortly after the incident in May, a man operating a boat was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter however, he was later released, clearing him of any involvement.
Dorset Police stated in July that there was no criminal involvement in the deaths of Joe and Sunnah.
Despite this, Ms Griffin said she is unable to determine whether the boat had any involvement in the incident, even if the driver of the Dorset Belle, named as a Mr Palmer, has been cleared.
In preparation for the next pre-inquest review on January 23, Ms Griffin has requested an expert on weather conditions to understand whether the Dorset Belle may have contributed to the rip currents on the day.
Due to complexity of the case, a third pre-inquest review has been scheduled for June 20 and a final inquest hearing is set to take place on September 23, 2024 over the course of three weeks.
Joe’s mother said at the end of the hearing: “We are very concerned about this happening next year, and the length of time until the full inquest.”
Ms Griffiths said she will consider making reports to the appropriate bodies to determine the safety of Bournemouth beach.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article