THREE teenagers supervising an eight-year-old boy who drowned during a swimming session had been told off for their rowdy behaviour by lifeguards who suspected they had been drinking, an inquest heard yesterday.
Kaimen Ward, who was a non-swimmer, got into difficulties at Hambleton Leisure Centre, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, last August.
The youngster, who had celebrated his eighth birthday a week earlier, was at the pool with his twin sister, Hope- Ella, and teenagers Abigail Lawson, Jade Green and Andrew I’Anson.
At the start of the three-day inquest, at County Hall, in Northallerton, Kaimen’s mother, Caroline Ward, said she had never taken her children swimming herself.
She said she was afraid of water after nearly drowning as a child.
Kaimen was found at the bottom of the pool and was pronounced dead at the nearby Friarage Hospital, despite attempts to revive him.
A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death was drowning.
The inquest was told the young swimmers were warned by staff at the poolside for going down a slide in a group and for being rowdy and splashing about.
At one point, the teenagers, who were 15 and 16 at the time, were asked if they had been drinking and staff smelt their breath.
Giving evidence, the teenagers denied they had been drinking, but Jade Green said she and Abigail each had a small glass of Lambrini white wine before setting off.
Teenager Sarah Dodsworth was swimming with a friend on the day of the tragedy, but knew some members of the group Kaimen was with.
She told coroner Michael Oakley she thought Abigail had been drinking.
She said: “She couldn’t stand straight and she was shouting. She was a bit wobbly.
I asked her if she had been drinking and she said ‘yeah’.”
In her evidence, Abigail said she had been drinking the night before, but denied consuming alcohol on the day in question.
She said: “The staff asked us to calm down and stop being a nuisance or we would have to leave, because there had been some complaints.
“We were messing about a bit, splashing each other and making a noise.”
The court was told Kaimen became separated from the group and was probably under the water for several minutes before he was spotted and dragged unconscious from the pool.
The hearing was also told four lifeguards were on duty at the time.
Lifeguard Jessica Noone, who has worked at the centre for nearly four years, said the pool had been busy earlier in the afternoon, but it had quietened down by the time the alarm was raised.
Swimming instructor Rachel Danby, who had given Kaimen swimming lessons in the weeks leading up to the tragedy, described the youngster as a non-swimmer.
Ms Danby, who was not present on the day in question, said: “Kaimen had had six or seven lessons and was progressing slowly.
“He lacked balance in the water and needed extra help.”
She said Kaimen was an enthusiastic student and said he had a confidence in the water that was not matched by his swimming ability.
The hearing continues today.
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