Drowning was accidental

A YOUNG boy who was playing on a rope swing over a river when a knot came loose, and drowned, was an accidental death an inquest found.

The 12 years old boy, Alex Chappell was playing on a rope swing hung from a tree over the Medway when the knot holding the piece of wood slipped, sending him into the river, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Alerting an adult

Alex was with two friends by the river at the time next to a childrens' play park at Barming, with one of the boys alerting an adult of the tragedy.

Stephen Francis sprinted to the river and jumped in, with another man already in the water attempting to rescue the boy, but there was no sign of him.

Dark and murky

He told the inquest that the water was dark and murky so he couldn't see anything, but was feeling around, but could not touch the bottom of the deep water.

The two men kept searching until the police arrived, but to no avail, then Stephen Francis had the unenviable task of telling the boy's mother what had happened.

The boy's body was later recovered.  Medway Coroner Patricia Harding recorded a verdict of accidental death.