Coronial inquest examines Swan River drowning deaths of teenage boys after police chase
Written by David Weber, published on abc.net.au
A man has told a coronial inquest in Perth he believes police could have done more to save his friends from drowning in the Swan River after they entered the water while being chased by officers.
The inquest is being held into the deaths of two teenage boys in the river on the afternoon of September 10, 2018.
The 16-year-old is being referred to as Master Drage and the 17-year-old is referred to as Master Simpson.
The man giving evidence via video link was among those who went into the river, telling the inquest he had loved the pair and missed them “every day”.
The man, identified as P and who was 17 at the time, said he and three friends were running from police through a “wet, swampy” area before deciding to enter the Swan.
P told the court it was the “only way” to get away from the officers who were chasing them, but said he got 30 or 40 metres out before he thought, ‘Nah, couldn’t do this’ and stopped.
He told the inquest he called out to his friends, but they would not come back.
He said uniformed police officers called on him to go back to the bank and he replied, “I’m not going anywhere”.
P said he then asked police to help the others, who he described as his “brothers”, because he believed they were drowning.
But the police did not do anything, he told the court.
Officer ‘could’ve got in sooner’, man says
P was shown mobile phone footage in which a Tactical Response Group (TRG) officer could be seen swimming out and responded, “He could’ve got in sooner”.
While he himself was not good at swimming, P described the others as “fit boys” who knew how to swim and said he believed police “could’ve done more” to help them.
Asked about his opinion of police, he said “can’t stand them, don’t like them”.
“They don’t like me, I don’t like them,” he told the court.
Counsel assisting the inquest, Sarah Tyler, said police had been responding to reports of a group of four boys jumping fences into backyards in Maylands.
Two officers were pursuing the boys on foot when they entered the Swan River, where the current was described as “very strong” and conditions “very challenging”.
The court was told the river was estimated to be more than 100 metres wide at the point the boys went in, and only one member of the group managed to make it to the Rivervale side.
Situation went ‘bad quickly’: officer
The court heard two TRG officers had been at the scene, with one of them saying “it all seemed to turn bad quickly” before they went in to try to save the boys who appeared to be struggling.
One of the officers removed his shoes and socks while the other was fully clothed when they swam out to assist, but both boys submerged.
The two boys who survived, P and another identified as N, were taken into custody and property was found on them which had been stolen during two burglary offences in Maylands.
But police later decided not to prosecute, given the circumstances.
There were concerns about a fifth boy and a search was conducted amid fears he may have also entered the Swan River, but he was found safe in Gosnells the following day.
The court was told the two deceased boys had been affected by cannabis.
Witness Peta Furness, who was driving in Maylands on the afternoon of September 10, told the court she saw four boys running towards her along the verge on Hall Avenue.
She told the court she thought they looked scared, as if they were being chased by a gang.
“They looked frightened,” she told the court, and said she was going to call out to them to see if they were alright.
But Ms Furness said she watched two of them jump a fence and then noticed a police vehicle, before telling the officers what she had seen.
Witness says police did all they could
Another witness, Samuel Cooper, who lived on the Rivervale side of the Swan, told the court he heard a commotion and went to his balcony.
He said he saw two boys going into the water, fully clothed, and trying to swim across the river.
Mr Cooper described it as a “terrible day, very windy, very choppy”.
He told the court he saw police and heard them yelling “hang on mate” before entering the water.
Mr Cooper said he believed he also heard someone saying “I love you Mum” or “I love you Dad” from the river, before the boys submerged.
Ms Tyler asked Mr Cooper if he believed the police had done everything they could to help.
“Yes, they most definitely did,” he replied.
Mr Cooper said one of the TRG officers was in the water for an “awfully long time”.
Mobile phone footage stirs emotions
The court was shown mobile phone footage that was captured by another witness, Bradley Reeve, from his balcony.
Family members and supporters wept as the footage was played.
Mr Reeve said he thought it was important to record what was happening.
“You could tell there was urgency,” he told the court.
In the short segments of footage, bobbing heads could be seen in the water, with several others on the far side and another figure swimming out.
Mr Reeve said that he could not clearly see what was happening on his mobile phone at the time, and did not believe anyone had drowned.
But he felt something had happened in the river and he decided to send the footage to the media.
Mr Reeve said he would not have done that if he knew two boys had drowned and he apologised to family members in the court after he finished giving evidence.
He also said it seemed to him that police “didn’t focus on the kids in the water until the TRG arrived”.
Counsel for WA Police said the inquest would be told that it was policy not to leave weapons unattended.
She also told the court there would be evidence that the uniformed officers were trying to coax P back to shore and feared that if they entered the water, he might go further out.
Mothers pay tribute to sons
The mother of Master Simpson has paid tribute to her son in a statement, saying he could “always put a smile on your face”.
She said he “had a bubbly personality and was never down and out”.
“He was my knight in shining armour,” she said.
“My son always tried to make me and his dad proud.”
She said his love for his mates was “profound”.
In the same statement, Master Drage’s mother described her son as “loving, caring and polite”.
She said he always showed respect to his family and elders and would help anyone in need.
She said her son loved music, was “exceptionally talented at football”, and always loved learning about culture and country.
The court heard that Master Simpson and Master Drage had been in a motorbike accident in 2017.
Master Drage, who was not wearing a helmet, had suffered a traumatic brain injury and as a result, was advised not to swim alone or take illicit substances.
Ms Tyler told the court evidence would be heard about rescue swimming training required for police officers, and from experts concerning the apprehension of children.
She also said the inquest was to determine if there were ways WA Police could improve the relationship with Aboriginal children.
Coronial inquest examines Swan River drowning deaths of teenage boys after police chase
Written by David Weber, published on abc.net.au
A man has told a coronial inquest in Perth he believes police could have done more to save his friends from drowning in the Swan River after they entered the water while being chased by officers.
The inquest is being held into the deaths of two teenage boys in the river on the afternoon of September 10, 2018.
The 16-year-old is being referred to as Master Drage and the 17-year-old is referred to as Master Simpson.
The man giving evidence via video link was among those who went into the river, telling the inquest he had loved the pair and missed them “every day”.
The man, identified as P and who was 17 at the time, said he and three friends were running from police through a “wet, swampy” area before deciding to enter the Swan.
P told the court it was the “only way” to get away from the officers who were chasing them, but said he got 30 or 40 metres out before he thought, ‘Nah, couldn’t do this’ and stopped.
He told the inquest he called out to his friends, but they would not come back.
He said uniformed police officers called on him to go back to the bank and he replied, “I’m not going anywhere”.
P said he then asked police to help the others, who he described as his “brothers”, because he believed they were drowning.
But the police did not do anything, he told the court.
Officer ‘could’ve got in sooner’, man says
P was shown mobile phone footage in which a Tactical Response Group (TRG) officer could be seen swimming out and responded, “He could’ve got in sooner”.
While he himself was not good at swimming, P described the others as “fit boys” who knew how to swim and said he believed police “could’ve done more” to help them.
Asked about his opinion of police, he said “can’t stand them, don’t like them”.
“They don’t like me, I don’t like them,” he told the court.
Counsel assisting the inquest, Sarah Tyler, said police had been responding to reports of a group of four boys jumping fences into backyards in Maylands.
Two officers were pursuing the boys on foot when they entered the Swan River, where the current was described as “very strong” and conditions “very challenging”.
The court was told the river was estimated to be more than 100 metres wide at the point the boys went in, and only one member of the group managed to make it to the Rivervale side.
Situation went ‘bad quickly’: officer
The court heard two TRG officers had been at the scene, with one of them saying “it all seemed to turn bad quickly” before they went in to try to save the boys who appeared to be struggling.
One of the officers removed his shoes and socks while the other was fully clothed when they swam out to assist, but both boys submerged.
The two boys who survived, P and another identified as N, were taken into custody and property was found on them which had been stolen during two burglary offences in Maylands.
But police later decided not to prosecute, given the circumstances.
There were concerns about a fifth boy and a search was conducted amid fears he may have also entered the Swan River, but he was found safe in Gosnells the following day.
The court was told the two deceased boys had been affected by cannabis.
Witness Peta Furness, who was driving in Maylands on the afternoon of September 10, told the court she saw four boys running towards her along the verge on Hall Avenue.
She told the court she thought they looked scared, as if they were being chased by a gang.
“They looked frightened,” she told the court, and said she was going to call out to them to see if they were alright.
But Ms Furness said she watched two of them jump a fence and then noticed a police vehicle, before telling the officers what she had seen.
Witness says police did all they could
Another witness, Samuel Cooper, who lived on the Rivervale side of the Swan, told the court he heard a commotion and went to his balcony.
He said he saw two boys going into the water, fully clothed, and trying to swim across the river.
Mr Cooper described it as a “terrible day, very windy, very choppy”.
He told the court he saw police and heard them yelling “hang on mate” before entering the water.
Mr Cooper said he believed he also heard someone saying “I love you Mum” or “I love you Dad” from the river, before the boys submerged.
Ms Tyler asked Mr Cooper if he believed the police had done everything they could to help.
“Yes, they most definitely did,” he replied.
Mr Cooper said one of the TRG officers was in the water for an “awfully long time”.
Mobile phone footage stirs emotions
The court was shown mobile phone footage that was captured by another witness, Bradley Reeve, from his balcony.
Family members and supporters wept as the footage was played.
Mr Reeve said he thought it was important to record what was happening.
“You could tell there was urgency,” he told the court.
In the short segments of footage, bobbing heads could be seen in the water, with several others on the far side and another figure swimming out.
Mr Reeve said that he could not clearly see what was happening on his mobile phone at the time, and did not believe anyone had drowned.
But he felt something had happened in the river and he decided to send the footage to the media.
Mr Reeve said he would not have done that if he knew two boys had drowned and he apologised to family members in the court after he finished giving evidence.
He also said it seemed to him that police “didn’t focus on the kids in the water until the TRG arrived”.
Counsel for WA Police said the inquest would be told that it was policy not to leave weapons unattended.
She also told the court there would be evidence that the uniformed officers were trying to coax P back to shore and feared that if they entered the water, he might go further out.
Mothers pay tribute to sons
The mother of Master Simpson has paid tribute to her son in a statement, saying he could “always put a smile on your face”.
She said he “had a bubbly personality and was never down and out”.
“He was my knight in shining armour,” she said.
“My son always tried to make me and his dad proud.”
She said his love for his mates was “profound”.
In the same statement, Master Drage’s mother described her son as “loving, caring and polite”.
She said he always showed respect to his family and elders and would help anyone in need.
She said her son loved music, was “exceptionally talented at football”, and always loved learning about culture and country.
The court heard that Master Simpson and Master Drage had been in a motorbike accident in 2017.
Master Drage, who was not wearing a helmet, had suffered a traumatic brain injury and as a result, was advised not to swim alone or take illicit substances.
Ms Tyler told the court evidence would be heard about rescue swimming training required for police officers, and from experts concerning the apprehension of children.
She also said the inquest was to determine if there were ways WA Police could improve the relationship with Aboriginal children.
