Pleasure boat didn’t cause Bournemouth beach deaths, coroner rules
A pleasure cruiser did not cause the deaths of two young people off Bournemouth beach, a coroner has ruled.
Joe Abbess, 17, and Sunnah Khan, 12, drowned while eight other people were treated by paramedics after they were thought to have been caught in a riptide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort on May 31 last year.
Dorset Police impounded the Dorset Belle, a pleasure cruiser, which ran trips from Bournemouth Pier, following the fatal incident and arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of manslaughter.
But after consulting an expert as part of its investigation, the force said it had made the “evidence-based decision” that the movement of the Dorset Belle did not contribute to creating dangerous sea conditions during the incident. And the force said that the arrested man would face no further action.
During a pre-inquest review, Rachael Griffin, the coroner, said that the Dorset Belle was not a factor in their deaths.
She said: “I have ruled out the involvement of the Dorset Belle and it being a causative and contributory factor in Joe and Sunnah’s death.
Involvement of the Dorset Belle has since been ruled out by the coroner – FINNBARR WEBSTER/GETTY IMAGES
“It would be speculative to link that boat to the deaths but also it’s important that within the evidence there may be reference to previous incidents.
“There is no evidence that the boat was previously involved in previous incidents, again that is speculative to say it was.”
Dr Anton Van Dellen, representing Sunnah’s family, told the hearing: “My client is very grateful to South West Ambulance Service for all their strenuous efforts they made to try to save their daughter’s life, that is greatly appreciated.”
Harriet Short, representing Joe’s family, added: “Mrs Abbess wishes to record in open court her gratitude to the emergency services, South West Ambulance Service, the air ambulance and the RNLI, who attended for her son on that tragic day.”
Ms Griffin said: “It’s clear to me how many lives were affected that day from the incident that arose that day and led to the deaths of Joe and Sunnah.”
A previous hearing was told that a rip tide had led to the deaths of the two youngsters.
The full inquest into their deaths is to start on Tuesday.
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