13 year old boy pushed into a river and drowned. No prosecution. AIBU to think this was not a ‘prank’,

[RopeyRuby]

Just seen this and remember the story.

The culprit knew he couldn’t swim and was old enough to understand the consequences IMO. One of the reasons for not prosecuting was it harming his ‘life chances’! What about poor Christopher who lost his? No trial so no closure for his mother.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60104439.amp

AIBU to think this is not right or just?

Horrific to think of the fear Christopher went through.

To be blunt, I think this thread would have gone very differently if the victim were a girl. I doubt anyone would be posting "What's ruining this poor boy's life going to achieve?" if that were the case.

I don’t know if there was any racism involved in this case (or from what I had read it’s neither proved or disproved)

I think few can argue that our justice system treats everyone equally that’s the police, CPS and the courts

All have had inquiries for institutional racism so how can we say that this case has been treated fairly when it hasn’t even gone to court. A young boy died what is our justice system about if it just dismisses a young boys life as a silly prank gone wrong

What sad and difficult story. When I was around the same age lots of boys used to ride around on bmx (no brakes) one of my friends sat on one outside my house with no shoes on. I lived on steep hill down to a main road, I pushed her, i thought it was hilarious. She burnt her toes trying to stop the bike and how it didn't go into the main road I don't know. At the time I was in stitches.....I would have been devastated if she had gone into the road/been knocked over. I didn't think about the consequences, massive error of judgement and haunts me to this day.

that poor mother, i hope shes okay

when i was a teen we were with some other teens who drove onto a train track and the car broke down, we saw the train coming and the car started shortly after, we found it funny at the time, we were 14 and the boys were 17/18

teens do a lot of stupid things

This is a helpful article from 2020 on Black people and swimming:

"Black and minority ethnic children and young people are at <a class="break-all" href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drowningwww.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drowning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">increased risk of drowningg* – especially among the company of others, and among their white peers. Most drownings in the UK happen in inland areass* – such as rivers, reservoirs and lakes – and according to the most of those who do drown didn’t have any intention of getting into the water in the first place..*"

Full article: gal-dem.com/black-people-cant-swim-is-a-stereotype-but-it-can-also-be-deadly/

@notallpeoplearenice

You are wrong.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consent_(criminal_law)#Horseplay

You still don't understand. The defence of horseplay is a defence against those kinds of charges. There's no point charging people and spending public money on a trial for a charge that there is a clear defence to.

OniferousWasp
Do you know what OP? If not heard the story but as soon as I read your OP, I knew the victim would be from some sort of BAME background and the perpetrator, white.
People will come along and justify it in all sorts of ways but it is what it is.

His poor mother.

Same. I read this post and immediately tbought I know this is a Black boy, and the perpetrator is White.

Lo and behold

That poor boy. And his family

There should have been some consequence to this, maybe not a harsh sentence but some major work done with him, but lack of resources, and a general lack of just outcomes for BAME people as a whole, and society buying into the idea of 'horseplay' adds to the culture of kids behaving dangerously and cruelly with each other.

More education on the dangers of pranks/drowning/extreme horseplay is needed also for our young people. So much daft stuff online and dangerous challenges.

@OhWhyNot

You don’t think pushing a boy into a river who you know isn’t a good swimmer is boys will be boys silly prank behaviour. This wasn’t a swimming pool he was pushed into that isn’t funny or silly what would you say if you heard your child had done that

At least let this go to court and the evidence is fully heard the poor family deserves that

He had swimming shorts on and was going to jump in himself. This was not a case of some evil boy pushing him fully clothed into a river. They were all going swimming.

I don't think it that clean cut, something similar happen to me on a lodge/fishing area, I was looking over the edge bit and a friend pushed me but was ment to keep hold of me ( as a made you look jump scare) but didn't have a good grip on me and I went in I can't swim and since faster than the titanic rock, luckily some men where fishing and got me out, its some that has stuck with me but I would never blame my friend it was just messing around with each other not realising there own strength at how hard they pushed me and there panic at not being able to keep a good grip on me,

Very tragic behaviour but kids push each other on water all the time. This time it went wrong.Awful for everyone.

Poor Christopher.

I have a 14yr old boy. When he's with his friends they all act like they're in the inbetweeners. I could imagine my ds or any one of his friends giving their friend a push who was dithering.

What I want to know is why did Christophers parents let him go swimming in the river when he couldn't swim? I take my dc our kayaking in rivers in summer and there's older YP 16+ by themselves but 14 seems very young to be going swimming in the river without an adult around. Last year when dd was 15 I still made her wear a life jacket when floating/swimming in the river and she's a strong swimmer!

And was it not his choice to take the risk ? It was known he wasn’t a good swimmer.

The question being asked by the family is has this case been treated fairly. No one can surely believe that we are all treated equally. If this was let’s say a white boy who went to private school messing around the local river with some young black boys all friends but not so privileged to go to the same school would we have the outcome. No I don’t believe we would

[quote Grotbag81]Very similar to a case in Bury NW.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/04/girl-who-drowned-in-bury-river-bullied-at-school-say-family[/quote]
What were rhe details of that case? It only mentioned bullying at school, not what had actually happened?

Are 13yos actually able to rationalise the outcomes of horseplay? I know they should know "right from wrong" etc, but I didn't think foresight of things like this was locked in until early adulthood

I'd also query too, that had the boy who was pushed struggled, but was able to get himself out of the water (even with help), would him claiming attempted murder be acknowledged? Or would it be laughed at.

@OniferousWasp

Do you know what OP? If not heard the story but as soon as I read your OP, I knew the victim would be from some sort of BAME background and the perpetrator, white. People will come along and justify it in all sorts of ways but it is what it is.

His poor mother.

Agreed 💯

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

I'd also query too, that had the boy who was pushed struggled, but was able to get himself out of the water (even with help), would him claiming attempted murder be acknowledged? Or would it be laughed at.

To talk abut ‘laughing’ in the context of a child’s death is disgusting. Your alternative scenario is irrelevant and cruel, as he died.

Prosecuting this would be compounding the tragedy I think

@OniferousWasp

Do you know what OP? If not heard the story but as soon as I read your OP, I knew the victim would be from some sort of BAME background and the perpetrator, white. People will come along and justify it in all sorts of ways but it is what it is.

His poor mother.

I agreee OniferousWasp. I thought the same. It reminded me this song by Dave He summed it up very nicely

“The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice
A kid dies, the blacker the killer, the sweeter the news
And if he's white you give him a chance, he's ill and confused
If he's black he's probably armed, you see him and shoot”

m.youtube.com/watch?v=mXLS2IzZSdg

To talk abut ‘laughing’ in the context of a child’s death is disgusting. Your alternative scenario is irrelevant and cruel, as he died

I used the word laughing in relation to the example which did not result in death.

I disagree on your second point. If the outcome of death is being referred to as murder, then the outcome where someone survives would be attempted murder. If the second situation is not attempted murder (which of course it wouldn't be), then the actual outcome is not murder