Girl who 'lit up the whole room' dies after going for paddle in river with pals

05 December 2023 , 07:16

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Abbie Walton, 15, drowned when she lost her footing in the river (Image: MEN Media)

A young schoolgirl who went for a dip in a river to cool off on a hot day drowned when she “lost her balance” and went under the water, an inquest heard.

Abbie Walton, 15, also known as Habiba Sharafeldin, from Hattersley, Tameside, went to a stretch of the River Etherow in nearby Broadbottom with friends on June 14 this year. However, Abbie and two other children got into difficulties when the water became too deep for them, an inquest has heard. Her two companions were able to get to safety but Abbie disappeared under the water and wasn't seen again. The emergency services were scrambled with a large search operation which included a fire service boat, a drone and underwater cameras. She was discovered around an hour and a half later but could not be resuscitated.

Floral tributes for the popular schoolgirl left nearby the scene of the tragedy (MEN Media)

Detective Inspector Clare Harrison from Greater Manchester Police said: “I think the difficulty has arisen in determining the depth of the water. They had gone into the water and initially they were comfortable in an area where they were touching the floor. With the other children, she has gone further out, unaware it had become deeper and they couldn't get their footing. The three of them have then struggled."

Emergency services were alerted just after 7.50pm and specialist water rescue teams from the fire service entered the water before 8.15.pm, the hearing heard. A drone with heat-detecting technology and underwater cameras were used with nine personnel in the water looking for her, the inquest was told. The rescue phase of the operation was extended to 90 minutes as 'no one wanted to give up on Abbie', the hearing was told. She was discovered close by where she went under, at 9.21pm.

The schoolgirl went into the river for a paddle (MEN Media)

Giving a conclusion of accidental death, Senior Coroner Alison Mutch said: “Her plan was just to stand and cool down but when she got out of her depth she just didn't have the skills to rescue herself. She was obviously a young teenager and hadn't really thought it through, which is what teenagers do. I am so sorry.

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“On the balance of probabilities Abbie Walton probably drowned very quickly after she was last seen by her friends. What is also clear is the other children who were with her did the best they could in the circumstances. There's no blame attributed to any of the children involved.

"They managed to get themselves out, they did their best, they went and called for help. Unfortunately, the point where they had gone in that day wasn't somewhere with a good phone signal and wasn't very easy to get to. To try and explain where they were was also difficult.

A large number of tributes were paid to Copley Academy pupil Abbie following her death. In a statement issued through GMP, Abbie’s eldest sister Kylie said: "Abbie was always smiling and rarely upset. She’d get so excited to see us and come bouncing through the door to give me and my sons a massive cuddle. She was very close with our family, especially our mum. Abbie was such a bubbly and polite girl. Truly beautiful inside and out. She was always dancing and making videos for TikTok."

Abbie’s older sisters Claire and Nicola added: "Abbie would race around in flip flops to see us and say ‘hay girl’ that was her favourite catchphrase. She lit up the room when she walked in and whenever a room went quiet, she would let out a random noise and make everyone laugh. Abbie was loud, sassy, and always dancing. She loved TikTok and to look her best with fake tan and butterfly lashes." Whilst Abbie’s older brother Daniel said: “Abbie was so lively; she was definitely the ‘personality’ in the family. We used to wind each other up all the time. She was a funny person and didn’t care what anyone thought about her. She was close with our family and popular in school. Abbie was looking forward to prom more than anything. That’s all she would talk about."

Antony Clements-Thrower