The deaths of two young people who drowned off Bournemouth beach last year were “preventable,” according to one parent who spoke at their inquest. Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton, and 12-year-old Sunnah Khan, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, died after getting into difficulty in the water in May 2023. Joe’s mother, Vanessa, stated in court that the area of sea should not have been classified as a “safe swimming zone” and criticized the local council for failing to place danger signs and provide water safety advice. The families also questioned the number of lifeguards on patrol.
In a statement to the court, the Abbess family described the tragic loss of their son, who had been a trainee chef for Southampton Football Club. Harriet Short took over the reading of the statement as Joe’s mother became too emotional, stating how Joe had gone to the beach with a large group of friends, adding that Joe was “generous, loving, caring, hardworking and funny.” Sunnah’s father, Asim Khan, recounted how he had taken his daughter to the beach with his sister and two other children from the family. He praised the work of the lifeguards, but also expressed concerns similar to those of the Abbess family about the lack of signage.
The inquest heard that a rip current led to the deaths of the two children, and eight other people needed emergency medical attention on the day. However, the parents believe that this tragedy could have been avoided if safety measures had been put in place. Stephanie Williams, Sunnah’s mother, said that “it will happen again unless something changes here” and asserted that the Bournemouth council needs to take action to make the beach safer. Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Basil Purdue stated that the post-mortem showed both Joe and Sunnah drowned with no evidence of blunt force injury.
The inquest continues, and the families hope that changes will be made to prevent further tragedies at Bournemouth beach. They believe that more lifeguards need to be patrolling the beach and that adequate signage is necessary to warn visitors of the risks. Finally, they urge that people should not assume that the sea is a safe place to swim without taking the necessary precautions
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