Christopher Kapessa: Boy died after dangerous prank at river, inquest rules

Media caption, Alina Joseph says police had a biased view of her as a black single mother

By Stephen Fairclough & Antonia Matthews

BBC News

A 13-year-old boy died after being deliberately pushed into a river in a “dangerous prank”, a coroner has ruled.

Christopher Kapessa drowned after getting into difficulty in the River Cynon near Fernhill, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in July 2019.

Coroner David Regan said evidence from Jayden Pugh, who said he slipped and fell into Christopher, was “untrue”.

But Christopher’s mother said the injustice she believed her family had endured “haunted” her.

Concluding the inquest on Monday, Mr Regan said there was no evidence Christopher’s death was caused by racism, following claims by a campaign group which suggested the case was “akin” to the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

He said there was no “evidence of animosity” between any of the children, who all spoke of Christopher as a friend.

Mr Regan recorded a narrative conclusion, saying Christopher died as a result of submersion.

“The push was a dangerous prank. However, the child responsible did not intend to cause Christopher’s death and himself jumped into the water, with other children, as an unsuccessful attempt at rescue,” he said.

But Christopher’s mother Alina Joseph later told the BBC she did not accept the coroner’s conclusion that Christopher was pushed by Mr Pugh, now age 19, as a “prank”.

“I don’t agree with that word, that it was a prank,” she said.

Image caption, Christopher’s mother Alina Joseph (right) said he was “an incredible young boy”

“I feel the person involved knew exactly what he wanted to do, and there was evidence of that, his intention was to put Christopher in the water, so there was no prank about it.”

She said she had no closure following the inquest because “there hasn’t been any justice, so you can’t remember him how I would have liked to. I haven’t even started grieving.”

In a statement read outside the inquest in Pontypridd, Ms Joseph said she was a victim of the “institutional racist practices of South Wales Police”, adding that police had closed their investigation within 24 hours and did not investigate racism allegedly suffered by Christopher and the family.

“They had a biased view of me, as a black single mother living in the valleys,” she said.

Ms Joseph said Christopher would have turned 18 this month and added it was difficult watching other children do normal things that Christopher would not be able to do.

“I wonder every day what he would look like now – the only image I have of him is at the age of 13 – and what he would have been doing.

“He would still be cheeky and making us all laugh,” she said.

Image caption, Christopher Kapessa drowned in the River Cynon on 1 July 2019

Chief Constable Danny Richards said the force had referred its initial investigation to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

“We hope that this independent scrutiny and the outcome of the inquest proceedings will give us a greater understanding of the issues which have been raised about this case,” he added.

The IOPC said it upheld one complaint in its investigation, which centred around a meeting between Christopher’s family and South Wales Police.

The meeting descended into a disagreement when Christopher’s family voiced repeated concerns about possible racism by the force.

“We considered that a police officer’s approach at that meeting was ill-judged and insensitive,” the IOPC said.

There would, however, not be disciplinary action, it said, but additional training on dealing with bereaved families, equality and diversity, and unconscious bias for the officer involved.

Image source, Family photo

Image caption, The coroner said friends of Christopher did not have a clear understanding of how well he could swim

Four witnesses told the inquest that Mr Pugh, then aged 14, had pushed Christopher from a ledge into the water, after saying words to the effect of “shall I push him in”.

Mr Regan said there had also been “no clear or general understanding as to Christopher’s ability to swim” among his friends before they went to the river that day.

Christopher fell 2.5m (8ft) from the ledge into the river, into water that was 2.5m deep, and said he was likely to have suffered from cold water shock, which would have led to the involuntary ingestion of water, the coroner said.

Other children, including Mr Pugh, jumped in and tried to rescue him, but Christopher disappeared below the surface at about 17:30 BST.

Emergency services attended and Christopher was recovered from the water at almost two hours later at 19:25.

He was later declared dead at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.

‘Unimaginable trauma’

The family’s solicitor, Daniel Cooper, said Christopher’s death had caused “unimaginable trauma” for his family, distress and anxiety for the community in and around Wales, and had raised “issues of significant public interest”.

“The coroner’s findings were clear and unambiguous, Christopher was deliberately and intentionally pushed in the back from behind,” he said.