Police issue major update after Bournemouth beach deaths of boy, 17 and girl, 12
No criminal offences were committed in relation to the deaths of two children off Bournemouth beach, police said tonight.
Joseph Abbess, 17, and Sunnah Khan, 12, drowned and eight other people were treated by paramedics after they were suspected to have been caught in a riptide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort on May 31. A man in his 40s, who was initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, will face no further action, it has now been confirmed.
A boat - Dorset Belle - was seized and examined by Dorset Police as part of the investigation, but the force says the boat's movement did not contribute to the deaths.
Sunnah Khan drowned after reportedly getting caught in a riptide near the pier (PA)
Friends said Joe Abbess, who was training to become a chef, was 'taken away too early' (Dorset Police)A Dorset Police statement said tonight: “Following a full and detailed investigation, officers have reached a position to make the evidence-based decision that no criminal offences were committed. No further action will be taken in respect of a man who was arrested in connection with this incident. He has been fully released from the investigation.
"When the criminal investigation was ongoing only a limited amount of information could be released into the public domain. This was due to the requirement to protect the integrity of the investigation."
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The pleasure cruise boat has since been sold so the owners can avoid liquidation, Mirror told last month. Since the tragedy, Sunnah's mother 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."
Police officers walk along Bournemouth beach after the tragedy (PA)Police have talked to witnesses and worked with agencies which lead on beach safety during the investigation.
Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan said: "On Wednesday 31 May 2023 at about 3.50pm several people swimming in the sea got into difficulty resulting in the rescue of 11 people by the RNLI lifeguards. During this incident, which occurred approximately 100 metres to the east of the pier and in the zone between the RNLI flags, Joe and Sunnah tragically drowned.
“During the emergency response that followed, information was given to police, which indicated that the movement of a boat – the Dorset Belle – immediately before the incident occurred could have contributed toward creating dangerous sea conditions. Witnesses suggested that there had been similar issues with the vessel having created such problems previously.
Police, with the fire service and council, gave a press conference after they arrested a man (PA)“Based upon this information an investigation was initiated. It was important that all relevant evidence was captured. Therefore, it was appropriate to examine the boat and determine the actions of the operator. Following the examination, the boat was released.
“In order to properly understand whether the boat could have been a contributing factor, it was necessary to instruct an expert to review the material gathered by police. It was simply not possible to make a decision in this case without expert advice. The instructed expert needed time to review the evidential material and also to consider the prevailing tide and meteorological conditions at the time alongside the topography of the shoreline at the location.
“Also, a large number of witnesses have been spoken to and several sources of CCTV and mobile phone footage were examined. As a result of all of the evidence available, we are now able to confirm that we do not believe that the movement of the Dorset Belle contributed to the incident.
“We have worked with the agencies that lead on beach safety from the outset of this investigation.”
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