Inquest held into the death of Wellingborough teen who died in River Nene ‘a formality,’ according to family

The inquest, held at the Guildhall in Northampton, concluded today (April 30) with it being ruled that Ronalds had drowned in the River Nene at the Embankment and was later pronounced dead at Northampton General Hospital on the afternoon of May 10, 2024.

Coroner Anne Pember accepted the pathologist’s findings, noting the cause of death as an accident.

Ronalds’ parents, Laura Kirsteine and Thomas Okyere, have since been active in campaigning for more knowledge and teaching around water safety, with regular sessions happening in Wellingborough.

They believe the inquest was ‘a formality’ and that more should have been done about the availability of life-saving equipment.

Speaking after the inquest, they said: “The outcome is accident and that’s what we had in mind.

"We believe 100 per cent if there was life-saving equipment on the day, Ronalds would still be with us.

"I believe she had already made up her mind, this was a formality.

“I was so frustrated and went in to question the Environment Agency and she didn’t like the idea.”

The inquest, which began at 10am this morning, concluded just before midday.

It was heard that Ronalds was swimming in the water in the River Nene with friends when he got into difficulty.

Levi Barnes, 19, who had been friends with Ronalds since they met at Wrenn School in Year 7, noticed Ronalds ‘thrashing his arms around trying to keep himself up’ after attempting to swim back from the buoys in the water, around halfway between the buoys and the dock.

In a statement given in May 2024, he said: “This is something we have done numerous times before.

“He had never struggled like that before, I would say he was a capable swimmer.

“The whole thing has come as a complete shock and surprise to me.”

Levi re-entered the water to attempt to rescue Ronalds but after a struggle, went back out to catch breath and told Ronalds to keep calm and swim to the dock. Ronalds was unable to do so and he went below the water line.

Kyra James, Ronalds’ girlfriend of seven months, had urged him not to go swimming and said that ‘every time he went underneath, less of him would come back up.’

She said: “We did not see Ronalds come back up before the police arrived.”

Evidence was given by the Environment Agency’s area director, Leigh Edlin, who said signs and other safety measures had been installed at the site after Ronalds’ death on May 10, 2024.

He also noted, however, that water safety signs in the area had been vandalised four times in 12 months.

A representative of the family noted that the risk assessments created by the Environment Agency were not submitted to court, however the findings were, and coroner Anne Pember was ‘satisfied with the Environment Agency’s thorough investigation’ and that this was sufficient for the inquest.

In conclusion, Mrs Pember said: “Ronalds got into trouble in the water and despite valiant efforts from Levi, the appropriate conclusion is accidental death."

The family were joined by Wellingborough councillor, Marion Turner-Hawes, in the courtroom who believes that appropriate equipment on site could have helped save Ronalds’ life.

She added: “The accident decision is the best that could be recorded, but I’m disappointed with the coroner’s statement that she felt even if a throw line or life ring was there there was no guarantee it would have saved Ronalds’ life.

“Having a throw line or life ring could have made the difference and saved his life and that’s enough. You need that chance. They had seven or eight people standing there just watching him disappear, not being able to do anything.

"We shouldn’t let public bodies off the hook, if we can do something, we should do it.

"This is about communities realising we can help each other.

"All we want is for the public bodies to do the best they can and work with us to do the things they can do.

"This is a clarion call to realise we do not have to be passive.”