Boy, 12, who could not swim drowned after river current took hold
Family photographA 12-year-old boy who drowned in a river on a warm May day could not swim and may have been carried away from a shallow area by strong currents, an inquest heard.
Older teenagers tried to rescue Junior Slater from the River Ribble in Ribchester, Lancashire, after friends initially thought his cries for help were a joke, Preston Coroner's Court was told.
His family asked people to remember Junior's "blue eyes, his smile, his laugh" and his "huge heart", while a family friend called for better water safety education.
Assistant coroner Richard Taylor found Junior's death was accidental.
In a statement read after the hearing by Junior's sister Shannon Slater, his family said he "was so much more than the tragedy that took him from us – he was a son, a brother, a friend and a much-loved uncle".
"We want people to remember Junior the boy, not just Junior the tragedy", they wrote, describing him as "forever 12, forever loved and forever my mummy's boy."
'Became more frantic'
The inquest had to be adjourned for a short time because Junior's mother Donna was overcome with emotion.
His sister told reporters: "We're just getting through every day – we do wake up thinking it's a dream but obviously it's not."
Det Sgt Mark Hutchinson, of Lancashire Police, told the hearing that when he arrived at the scene there were about 50 teenagers at the riverbank, where some had been jumping into the water from a concrete slab.
Hutchinson, who investigated the incident, said they did not believe Junior had jumped into the water "as he could not swim" but they believe "a strong undercurrent pulled Junior further towards the centre of the river where sadly he's been pulled underwater".
Many of the teenagers saw Junior raising his arms and shouting for help but did not believe he was being serious, Hutchinson said.
One boy, who cannot be named because of his age, told police Junior was "saying help in a playful way", but then "the current started to drag him into the middle and it became more frantic".
"He began to drift further out and disappeared under the water and did not resurface after this," he said.
The inquest was told some older teenagers at the scene swam to the area where Junior had disappeared and dived underwater to search for him, but the visibility was poor and they could not see him.
Returning a conclusion of accidental death caused by drowning, the coroner said Junior "couldn't swim, he was seen to get ready to go into the water, but the thought was he was only going in to paddle".
He described the water in the middle of the river as "very deep and the undercurrent was very strong".
Family friend Kelly Woodruff told reporters that water safety education should be improved so young people "know how to deal with getting in trouble in the water".
"There just need to be more lessons for children to see how they can deal with things when they get into trouble," she said.
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