Boat not to blame for beach drownings, coroner says

Twelve-year-old Sunnah Khan and 17-year-old Joe Abbess both drowned off Bournemouth beach

A coroner has ruled out the involvement of a pleasure cruiser in the deaths of two young people who drowned at a seaside resort.

Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton, and 12-year-old Sunnah Khan, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, both died after getting into trouble in the water on 31 May last year.

Coroner Rachael Griffin said the Dorset Belle vessel was not a factor in the deaths.

A man in his 40s, arrested by Dorset Police on suspicion of manslaughter, will face no further action.

The victims' families have thanked emergency services for their action the day

Ms Griffin told a pre-inquest review: "I have ruled out the involvement of the Dorset Belle and it being a causative and contributory factor in Joe and Sunnah's death.

"It would be speculative to link that boat to the deaths but also it's important that within the evidence there may be reference to previous incidents.

"There is no evidence that the boat was previously involved in previous incidents, again that is speculative to say it was."

The Dorset Belle ran trips from Bournemouth Pier and was impounded by police following the fatal incident.

The force said after it consulted an expert as part of its investigation, it had made the "evidence-based decision" that the movement of the Dorset Belle did not contribute to creating dangerous sea conditions.

'Tragic day'

A previous hearing was told that a rip current tide had led to the deaths of the two youngsters and eight other people were treated by paramedics on the day.

Dr Anton Van Dellen, representing Sunnah's family, told the hearing: "My client is very grateful to South West Ambulance Service for all their strenuous efforts they made to try to save their daughter's life, that is greatly appreciated."

Harriet Short, representing Joe's family, added: "Mrs Abbess wishes to record in open court her gratitude to the emergency services, South West Ambulance Service, the air ambulance and the RNLI, who attended for her son on that tragic day."

Ms Griffin said: "It's clear to me how many lives were affected that day from the incident that arose that day and led to the deaths of Joe and Sunnah."

The full inquest into their deaths is due to start on Tuesday.