Boy, 5, drowned on first day of holiday - inquest

Robin Caliskan was on a camping holiday with his family

A five-year-old boy was found face down in a holiday park swimming pool, having become separated from his parents, an inquest has heard.

Robin Caliskan, from Plymouth, had arrived at the park earlier the same day for a short camping holiday with his parents and younger brother in July 2023.

An inquest in Truro heard how the family went swimming that afternoon in the indoor pool at Atlantic Reach Holiday Park near Newquay in Cornwall.

A member of the public spotted Robin face down in the water, and despite attention from paramedics and others, he could not be resuscitated.

'Stay with your mum'

Speaking through an interpreter, Robin’s father, Cemal Caliskan, an electrical engineer originally from Turkey, said: "I looked at the big pool at first. It was very crowded. There were adults and lots of children. When I saw the children swimming, I thought 'fine', so me and Robin headed to the big pool."

He said after about 10 minutes, he and Robin went to the baby pool where they joined his wife and other son and they took a family photo together.

Mr Caliskan continued: "I took our little boy from my wife, I decided to look after him for a bit and I said to my wife 'if you want to go to the big pool, you can' and she decided to go in the big pool.

"Robin was just playing there, my wife was heading to the big pool and Robin said 'can I go please?' He wanted to go with my wife, his mum, and I said 'OK, but you need to stay with your mum, go with your mum'.

There are 170 camping pitches at the holiday park

Robin Caliskan was found face down in the indoor swimming pool at Atlantic Reach Holiday Park near Newquay

"Then he followed my wife. It was so crowded in the big pool I can't be 100% sure if Robin was following my wife or beside her.

"I could just see my wife and there was a child next to my wife and I thought that was Robin."

He added: "I was sure he was with her."

Mr Caliskan said after a while, his wife came back and they realised Robin was missing.

He said: "We noticed that people had taken someone out of the pool and they all gathered at one location and we decided to go there as well. When I arrived there, I saw two people trying to give treatment to Robin."

'No lifeguards'

The inquest was shown photos of signage at the pool including sets of rules posted in the men’s and women’s changing rooms which said "No lifeguard on duty", with a further sign stating the rule at the poolside.

Mr Caliskan said he had not seen the signs but had seen photos on Facebook which showed lifeguards at the pool, and he had seen someone in a "red and yellow outfit" at the pool.

He said: "I didn’t see signs about lifeguards. If I did see that, I would definitely go back to reception and say 'I thought you had lifeguards' and ask them questions."

The jury heard from paediatric pathologist Samantha Holden how Robin had previously had some swimming lessons, but "couldn't swim well".

She confirmed drowning as the cause of death.

The inquest continues.