Driver tried to find teen in river
A PASSING fire service worker has described spotting the “significantly distressed” friends of a schoolboy at the side of a river where the teenager died after entering the water.
Christopher Kapessa, who was 13, was pulled from the river on a summer’s day and his death is now the subject of an inquest.
A boy alleged to have pushed Christopher off a ledge into a river before his death denied deliberately pushing him and claimed he slipped into him by accident when he gave evidence on Friday.
Christopher was pulled from the water after police were called to a stretch of the River Cynon, near Fernhill, on July 1, 2019, where a group of teenagers had been spending time by a bridge known as the red bridge.
An extensive search of the river was made between Mountain Ash and Cwmbach after the incident was reported.
After Christopher was found, he was taken to the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil but was later tragically pronounced dead.
An investigation was launched into the death of the year eight Mountain Ash Comprehensive School pupil and Christopher’s mother, Alina Joseph, has accused the police of institutional racism and of failing to properly investigate what had happened.
In January 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute the teenager who was alleged to have pushed Christopher into the water, saying a prosecution was not in the public interest. Ms Joseph later challenged that decision at a High Court hearing but two judges ruled against her.
Yesterday, Paul Davies, a watch manager with the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, gave evidence and said he had been working in Cardiff and was driving home when he came past Mountain Ash Hospital on July 1, 2019.
After describing how he saw a group of “10 to 15 children on the side of the road, signifcantly distressed”, he said: “I pulled over because I just knew something was wrong.”
Mr Davies, who was being questioned by counsel for the inquest Tom Leeper, added: “I ran through the trees from the road to the river and the children followed me… I grew up half a mile from this area and knew this area quite well.
“Once I got to the bridge the bridge is significantly higher than river level. I looked over
the bridge and I could see there was no-one in the river. I turned to a little boy and asked where he saw his friend last. He couldn’t tell me really.”
Mr Davies said he went down a “little beach”, near “a very deep part of the river” and entered the water “and there was a very steep incline from the water – it was up to my waist”. Despite using a pole and then chimney rods to help search for Christopher, as emergency crews arrived at the scene, he had still not been found two hours later.
David Hughes, who represents the boy accused of pushing Christopher, asked Mr Davies if he had done water rescue training. He said he had. When asked if the water was cold, the witness said: “Yes.”
Mr Hughes said: “The kids who went into the water after they had seen their friend getting in trouble, that was not an advisable thing to do, but would you agree what they did was brave?” Mr Davies said: “Yes.”
Mr Hughes asked him: “Would you agree those kids risked their lives to save their friend?” Mr Davies said: “Yes.”
Mr Hughes followed up: “Do you agree we could have been having inquests for multiple deaths?” Mr Davies replied: “Yes.”
Mr Hughes then asked: “Would a life belt at the scene have helped the situation?” Mr Davies responded: “Speculating, yes.”
Mr Hughes said: “Would a throw line have helped? Mr Davies said: “Possibly.”
Firefighters found Christopher’s body at 7.35pm. He was given CPR and taken to hospital but could not be saved.
The inquest, at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court, continues.