'My daughter dreamed of being a lawyer before she was killed in beach tragedy'
Beaming warmly for the camera, schoolgirl Sunnah Khan had a life full of promise ahead of her and dreamed of being a lawyer.
But today, her devastated mum shares cherished images of the “cheeky, doting” 12-year-old as she tells of her grief after losing her in the Bournemouth beach tragedy 11 days ago.
In an exclusive interview Stephanie Williams, 32, said: “There isn’t a word in the English dictionary that describes the pain – I don’t know how we will ever move on from this.
“The idea of her being in the water, feeling scared and knowing she’s going to drown… it’s gut-wrenching.”
!['My daughter dreamed of being a lawyer before she was killed in beach tragedy' qhiddzikeiqeqinv](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article30203743.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/0_Stephanie-Williams.jpg)
!['My daughter dreamed of being a lawyer before she was killed in beach tragedy'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article30203737.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/0_96C08269-DDB7-425D-90D2-41EB689A3A7Ajpeg.jpg)
Sunnah was with her dad, aunt and two siblings at Bournemouth beach when she got into difficulty in the water along with nine other swimmers.
![Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him](/upload/news/2023/02/01/12_m.jpg)
It is still not known what happened – but by the time it was over, Sunnah and Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton, were dead. An inquest that opened on Monday heard they may have been caught in a riptide.
!['My daughter dreamed of being a lawyer before she was killed in beach tragedy'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article30203738.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/0_6E07FAC2-A253-49EB-9965-72216104B090jpeg.jpg)
!['My daughter dreamed of being a lawyer before she was killed in beach tragedy'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article30203744.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/0_Bournemouth-beach-deaths.jpg)
Stephanie, an emergency nurse, was leaving work when she learned of the horror.
She said: “My world came crashing down. I’ve been stuck in that moment ever since.”
The mum-of-four drove from High Wycombe, Bucks, to Poole Hospital, where Sunnah was taken, to say goodbye.
!['My daughter dreamed of being a lawyer before she was killed in beach tragedy'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article30203741.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_1C77F703-9D4A-41FA-AD0B-4BF1CF7CAFFBjpeg.jpg)
Asked to describe her, Stephanie said: “Sunnah was a force to be reckoned with. She had so many friends at school.
“She was brilliant at maths and wanted to be a lawyer – which she’d be very good at because she was good at arguing!”
!['My daughter dreamed of being a lawyer before she was killed in beach tragedy'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article30203745.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_BNPS_BeachDeathInquest_04.jpg)
Stephanie has made it her mission to spare other families her agony, saying: “I’d like to share Sunnah’s story in schools and push for water safety to be a mandatory part of the curriculum.”
Hundreds of mourners lined the street for Sunnah’s funeral last Saturday. And Stephanie added: “I just hope she knew how many people loved her.”
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