26 February 2024 , 18:40
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A teenager who died in a Staffordshire lake have called him a "fantastic young man" who was "fearless" in a moving tribute.
The body of Sonny Leese Clark, 17, was pulled from Rudyard Lake around 19 hours after a search and rescue mission was launched. According to Staffordshire Police, Sonny was spending time with his two friends at the site when they got into difficulty and "fell in the water" on Saturday evening.
The two other boys - who have not yet been named - managed to get to safety and were assessed at the scene by paramedics. They were taken to hospital but have since been discharged. In a touching tribute, Sonny’s family said: “Sonny - our lovely, kind, good-natured boy. You had grown into a fantastic young man.
"Always helpful, adventurous, fearless and quick to smile. You were a very special and wonderful brother to your siblings, and our lives are diminished for your loss. We love you and always will. 17 and his life was just beginning the next chapter, his book was too short.” Emergency services launched a major search and rescue operation after Sonny was 'unaccounted for'. The alarm was first raised at 9.40pm on Saturday, February 24. His body was recovered yesterday at around 5pm.
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "We have been offering our support to his family as much as we possibly can after the tragic news yesterday. The search efforts involved an array of emergency services, as well as volunteers who gave countless hours of their time to try and find him from the Cheshire and Staffordshire Search and Rescue charities.
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The area was cordoned off by police (Tom Maddick / SWNS)"We know this incident has caused a great deal of sorrow in the local community and has affected so many people who knew him personally. Our thoughts and condolences remain with his family at this unprecedented and tragic time. We’d like to thank those who’ve left kind messages and sent their condolences to Sonny’s family, and we ask that their privacy is respected at this time."
An ambulance service spokesman said: "We were called to reports of three people in the water at Rudyard Lake. Two ambulances, two paramedic officers, the hazardous area response team (HART) and a BASICS emergency doctor were sent to the scene. Two teenage men were assessed at the scene by ambulance staff before being taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital as a precaution for further assessment. Specialist paramedics from HART assisted colleagues from the police and fire service in the search for a third teenager until just after midnight."
Leek High School and Churnet View Middle School have also paid tribute, reported StokeonTrentLive. In a social media post, Leek High School states: "Leek High School is deeply saddened by the news of this weekend's tragedy. We extend all of our love and care to the young man's family and to his friends. Our hearts continue to grieve and hurt. Words cannot describe, nor heal the sorrow. We extend our thoughts to all in our Leek community."
In its social media post, Churnet View Middle School stated: "We want to extend our sincere condolences to our school and the wider Leek community this morning in light of the tragic events that have occurred at Rudyard Lake over the weekend. You are in our thoughts and we will support our families in any way that we can."