The inquest into the death of 13-year-old Christopher Kapessa has heard testimony from a teenage boy who witnessed him drown in a river in Rhondda Cynon Taf. The witness, who cannot be named due to his age, described arriving at the river to find “10-plus” people there, including Christopher. He told the inquest that he did not know at the time whether Christopher could swim and did not jump into the water himself because he “didn’t want to get into the dirty water.”
However, as Christopher flailed in the water, struggling to keep himself afloat, the situation quickly turned to panic. People jumped in to try and help, but Christopher was eventually swept away by a strong current. The witness said that there were no barriers or fencing preventing the group from accessing the river, and the bridge the group was standing on appeared to be “out of use.”
The tragic incident occurred in July 2019 and led to accusations of institutional racism when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) chose not to charge a 14-year-old boy who allegedly pushed Christopher into the water. The CPS claimed it was a “foolish prank,” although there was evidence to support a charge of manslaughter. The High Court upheld the decision not to charge the boy in 2022.
Christopher’s mother, Alina Joseph, gave a statement at the inquest detailing alleged racist abuse that the family suffered whilst living in Wales. The family claims that they reported a number of incidents to the police but that “no action was taken.” Speaking of her son, Joseph said that Christopher “wasn’t a confident swimmer” but had taken “basic swimming lessons.” The inquest is expected to last for up to two weeks.
The witness’s testimony has shed further light on the horrifying circumstances that led to Christopher’s untimely death. Although the evidence presented in the inquest is tragic, it is hoped that it will help to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future and lead to greater protection for vulnerable youngsters
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