Perranporth death: Saxon Barker underestimated sea conditions, inquest concludes

Lifeguards, coastguards, paramedics and an off-duty police officer were all involved in assisting Saxon Barker

A woman who drowned after being swept away at a Cornish beach underestimated sea conditions, an inquest concluded.

Saxon Barker, 24, from Stoke-on-Trent, was in the sea with her brother at Droskyn Cove last August when waves and a strong current hit them both.

Cornwall Coroners' Court heard she was brought ashore by a boat and given CPR after being found face-down in the sea.

Assistant Coroner Emma Hillson concluded Ms Barker died by drowning as a result of misadventure.

Cornwall-born Ms Barker was visiting family after recently returning from a holiday in Portugal, where she had been travelling alone.

Her mother Lisa Barker said Ms Barker was keen to "get into the sea properly" after being unable to on holiday.

Ms Barker, her brother Jmelee Valentine Fogarty and her mother all went to Perranporth.

An air ambulance flew to the scene in Perranporth

She and her brother jumped off rocks into the sea at what they believed was high tide at about 17:00 BST on 25 August.

The hearing, in Truro, was told her brother had jumped into water there frequently and the pair appeared "happy and fine in the water" before they got into difficulty.

The inquest heard the area was just out of sight from nearby RNLI lifeguard patrol areas.

The pair were separated by a current and large waves, with Mr Fogarty able to get out of the water by himself.

Lifeguards, coastguards, paramedics and an off-duty police officer were all involved in raising the alarm, getting Ms Barker back to shore in a rescue boat, and administering first aid and CPR.

However, Ms Barker died "despite the efforts of all" at the scene, Ms Hillson said.

She had suffered several abrasions and a head injury.

Ms Hillson said: "Saxon Barker died after the sea got rougher, sweeping her into a cove. She drowned from the unintentional results of her actions and underestimating the sea conditions."

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