A teenager has denied pushing Christopher Kapessa, who drowned in River Cynon at Fernhill, Rhondda Cynon Taf in 2019. The 14-year-old, whose name cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, told the inquest that Christopher “fell into” him and he did not intentionally push him in. The teenager said he saw Christopher getting changed at the red bridge while other boys jumped in and he jumped in himself. According to him, the water was too deep to stand up in, and he felt scared and nervous the current might take him. He admitted being close behind Christopher immediately before he entered the water and “fell into him,” which caused Christopher to be immediately in the water after the physical contact.
The inquest had heard evidence from Killian Haslam, who was also present at the river on the day Christopher passed away. Haslam had testified that the other teenager was standing behind Christopher and asked, “Shall I push him?” However, the accused denied saying anything to anybody before going down to Christopher. The coroner asked him why none of those present on the day gave the same version of events as him. Still, he replied that it did not make him doubt his account of events. The teenager also denied the presence of any rivalry between him and Christopher.
Michael Mansfield, the barrister representing Christopher’s family, queried how the teenager, who was “coming down from the bridge…and slipped into” Christopher, causing him to fall into the water, would move between the bridge and Christopher. The teenager responded that he “was not walking, but not running – at a fast moving pace.” Mr. Mansfield asked if the accused would reconsider whether he pushed Christopher, but the teenager maintained that he only had contact with him and did not intentionally push him in
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