Bawsey death: Council 'dismissive' to Radomir Gina's family

Radomir Gina died after getting into difficulty while swimming at Bawsey Country Park

The family of a man who drowned at a country park claim its manager and the council were "hostile" when they raised safety concerns, an inquest has heard.

Radomir Gina, 20, was swimming at Bawsey Country Park, near King's Lynn, Norfolk, when he got into difficulty. He died at the scene in June 2021.

The inquest heard the site has signs warning of the deep, cold water.

An inquest heard his family received a council letter which they felt implied "it was all on him, he deserved it."

People went into the water at Bawsey Pits in July 2021, when temperatures topped 30C (86F)

Violet Cunningham, Mr Gina's aunt, said she wrote to King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council and her MP, Steve Barclay, to voice her on-going fears about visitor safety.

The inquest into Mr Gina's death, which is being held in Norwich, heard she was left in "floods of tears" when she went to the park, also known as Bawsey Pits, a month after her nephew's death in June last year to find 100 people swimming, including families and young children.

Brickyard Lake - a former quarry - has a sandy, beach-like edge but swimming is not permitted, the coroner was told.

"I was in total shock - no one was being challenged by staff," Ms Cunningham said in a statement, adding that she took photos and recorded video footage of what she found.

"It made me sick with worry the danger parents were putting themselves and their children in - I was so fearful of it happening again."

Violet Cunningham told the BBC last year she was "horrified" by the number of people in the water at Bawsey Pits

She warned a family of the dangers but was rebuffed, and claimed the park manager - who was running a burger van - was "hostile" towards her when she asked him to do more to stop people.

The court heard she received what she described as a "very dismissive and almost hostile" reply from the council.

Mr Gina, also known as Radek, was from Wisbech St Mary, Cambridgeshire, and was described by girlfriend Maddie Goode as a gentle, kind and caring person "who would do anything for anybody".

The pair went to the park at 15:30 BST on 16 June - a hot and sunny day - and headed for the smaller of two lakes, where about 100 people were in the water, she said.

'Something wasn't right'

He and a friend began swimming across the lake, which Miss Goode said was about the length of five 25m swimming pools.

"I could see other people near the other side of the lake and I had a feeling that something wasn't right," said Ms Goode in a statement read to the court.

She paddled across on a lilo, and found her boyfriend being dragged out of the water, where she helped with CPR until paramedics arrived.

He was confirmed dead at the scene at 16:50, the inquest heard.

The inquest heard there are 80 signs around the site

Ms Goode said she did not see a park warden during the hour-long incident.

Giving evidence, Paul Garrard - the site's only warden - told the court that he patrolled the lake twice a day and warned people of the dangers.

"We ask people to abide by the park rules - we cannot physically lay hands on people to get them out of the lake," he added.

He said he was often sworn at, or told "I can swim" or "we have our own rules" by swimmers.

The court heard a reply to Mr Barclay from site manager Richard Wilkins denied Ms Cunningham's claims that the park had been unhelpful to the bereaved family.

He explained that it tried to alert visitors to the dangers via its website, social media, safety signs and leaflets and "regular" warden patrols.

The inquest continues.