Seashore tragedy probe ends after reason behind drownings established

Police have ended their investigation into the deaths of two younger swimmers off Bournemouth seaside in May, after establishing that harmful sea situations brought about the tragic downings.

No legal offences had been dedicated in relation to the deaths, Dorset Police stated on Friday (July 14). A person in his 40s who was initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter will face no additional motion.

Joe Abbess, 17, and Sunnah Khan, 12, drowned – and eight different individuals had been handled by paramedics – after they had been suspected to have been caught in a riptide subsequent to the pier on the Dorset seaside resort on May 31.

Dorset Police impounded the pleasure cruiser Dorset Belle at its berth in Poole Harbour following the deadly incident. But after consulting an knowledgeable as a part of its investigation, the pressure has made the “evidence-based decision” that the motion of the Dorset Belle didn’t contribute to creating harmful sea situations in the course of the incident.

Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan stated: “On Wednesday May 31 2023 at about 3.50pm several people swimming in the sea got into difficulty resulting in the rescue of 11 people by the RNLI lifeguards. During this incident, which occurred approximately 100 metres to the east of the pier and in the zone between the RNLI flags, Joe and Sunnah tragically drowned.

“During the emergency response that followed information was given to police which indicated that the movement of a boat – the Dorset Belle – immediately before the incident occurred could have contributed toward creating dangerous sea conditions. Witnesses suggested that there had been similar issues with the vessel having created such problems previously.”

Police launched an investigation, examined the boat and appeared into the actions of its operator, later releasing the vessel when the probe ended. Mr Corrigan stated the pressure instructed an knowledgeable to assessment the fabric they’d gathered to assist them “properly understand whether the boat could have been a contributing factor”.

“It was simply not possible to make a decision in this case without expert advice,” he added. “The instructed expert needed time to review the evidential material and also to consider the prevailing tide and meteorological conditions at the time alongside the topography of the shoreline at the location.

“Also, a large number of witnesses have been spoken to and several sources of CCTV and mobile phone footage were examined. As a result of all of the evidence available, we are now able to confirm that we do not believe that the movement of the Dorset Belle contributed to the incident. We have worked with the agencies that lead on beach safety from the outset of this investigation.”

Dorset Police stated it should work with the coroner for Dorset to supply a report overlaying the incident and investigation. It pressured it’s for the coroner to make remaining findings concerning the causes throughout inquest proceedings.

Mr Corrigan added: “My thoughts remain with the families of Sunnah Khan and Joe Abbess.”