No criminal offences were committed in relation to the deaths of two people off Bournemouth beach in May, police said.

Sunnah Khan, 12, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire and 17-year-old Joseph Abbess, from Southampton, got into difficulty in the sea off the Dorset coast on May 31.

Eight other people were rescued from the water.

A man in his 40s who was initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter will face no further action, Dorset Police said tonight.

A spokesperson from the force said: ‘Following a full and detailed investigation, officers have reached a position to make the evidence-based decision that no criminal offences were committed.

‘No further action will be taken in respect of a man who was arrested in connection with this incident. He has been fully released from the investigation.

‘When the criminal investigation was ongoing only a limited amount of information could be released into the public domain. This was due to the requirement to protect the integrity of the investigation.’

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council banned all boat operations while awaiting the outcome of the police investigation.

The Dorset Belle, a 78ft passenger vessel, was impounded following the tragedy.

Island Cruises Ltd, the owners of the Dorset Belle, has vowed never to return to Bournemouth, The Mirror reports.

Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan said tonight: ‘During the emergency response that followed [the incident on May 31], information was given to police, which indicated that the movement of a boat – the Dorset Belle – immediately before the incident occurred could have contributed toward creating dangerous sea conditions.

‘Witnesses suggested that there had been similar issues with the vessel having created such problems previously.’

He added: ‘Based upon this information an investigation was initiated. It was important that all relevant evidence was captured.

‘Therefore, it was appropriate to examine the boat and determine the actions of the operator. Following the examination, the boat was released.

‘In order to properly understand whether the boat could have been a contributing factor, it was necessary to instruct an expert to review the material gathered by police.

‘It was simply not possible to make a decision in this case without expert advice. The instructed expert needed time to review the evidential material and also to consider the prevailing tide and meteorological conditions at the time alongside the topography of the shoreline at the location.

‘Also, a large number of witnesses have been spoken to and several sources of CCTV and mobile phone footage were examined.

‘As a result of all of the evidence available, we are now able to confirm that we do not believe that the movement of the Dorset Belle contributed to the incident.’

Sunnah’s mother, Stephanie Williams, told Good Morning Britain (GMB) how her late daughter thought she was in a calm spot out at sea where it was safe.

‘They [Sunnah and her brother] were in between the flags on the beach. They then ended up where they couldn’t touch the bottom,’ the A&E nurse said.

‘They said a wave came over. They started to shout help. A lifeguard pulled my son from the water but they weren’t able to locate Sunnah.

‘She was washed out. They had started to try and make their way back but they couldn’t.’

What should I do if I get caught in a riptide?

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeguards are trained to recognise rips and mark out a safe swim zone based on sea conditions.

If you get caught in a rip, the charity recommends to:

• stay calm – don’t panic
• if you can stand, wade don’t swim
• keep hold of your board or inflatable to help you float
• raise your hand and shout for help
• never try to swim directly against the rip or you’ll get exhausted
• swim parallel to the beach until free of the rip, then make for shore
• If you see anyone else in trouble, alert the lifeguards or call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article