Boy, 10, who was petrified of water drowned in river regardless of his greatest good friend diving in 10 occasions to attempt to save him, inquest hears

A 10-year-old boy drowned in a river despite the efforts of his best friend who dived 10 times to save him, an inquest heard.

Shadrack Appiah died while in the water with friends in the River Kennet near Waterloo Meadows, Reading.

Reading Coroner’s Court heard that Shadrack cried out for help after getting in the water at around 1.45pm on August 21 last year.

Firefighters arrived on the scene within 20 minutes, but Shadrack sadly died at 3.25pm after being rushed to Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Shadrack was afraid of water and was unable to swim, despite having had 10 lessons at school, the inquest was told.

But the river bend where he drowned is known to look deceptively shallow enough to be walked through, firefighters said.

After Shadrack’s best friend, whose name was not disclosed, jumped in 10 times in a bid to rescue him, the mother of one of his friends dived in to the water twice in an unsuccessful attempt to save the boy.

Shadrack Appiah died after being pulled out of a river near Reading, despite the efforts of his best friend who dived in 10 times in a bid to save him

An inquest heard that there were no signs warning of the water depth of the River Kennet near Waterloo Meadows

Shadrack’s uncle, Dr Stephen Appiah, said that his family were shocked at the circumstances around his death, given he ‘would never enter a pool’.

‘It especially surprised the family that he died in water, the very thing he was so scared of’, he said.

The inquest heard there were no signs warning of deep water at the part of the river where the boys were playing, Reading Chronicle reported, despite it previously being recommended in a review by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

As a result of the incident, Reading Borough Council has installed warning signs at the river near Waterloo Meadows, its assistant director of environmental services, Christopher Wheeler confirmed.

Coroner Hannah Godfrey said she was ‘likely’ to find that Shadrack had died as a result of drowning in an instance of misadventure or accident. 

The inquest was due to conclude last Friday.