Boy died after pier jump to celebrate end of exams

A teenager who died after jumping into the sea from a pier had told friends he "couldn't swim", an inquest has heard.

David Ejimofor, 15, died at Aberavon beach, Neath Port Talbot, on 19 June 2023 after joining friends at the beach to celebrate the end of their GCSE exams.

The hearing, at Swansea's Guildhall, heard from a fisherman who said he heard the boy telling other teenagers he "couldn't swim".

His mother, Maria Ejimofor, described her son as "beautiful young boy," who was "bright and sporty".

The fisherman, Ethan Clarke, said he heard the teenagers telling the boy "it would be fine" despite telling them he could not swim.

Mr Clarke said the teenager jumped in and he began to panic as soon as he entered the water.

He then disappeared under the water at which point the teenagers called for help.

Tyler Rowland, an off-duty police officer, was paddleboarding with his partner at the beach.

He noticed a group of seven teenagers at the pier about 19:00 BST, with some in the sea.

He saw three head back to shore and told the inquest he heard them saying "he's gone".

Mr Rowland said one teenager told him his friend had "gone under the water and not come back up".

Mr Rowland jumped off his paddleboard and swam over to the group as they frantically looked for David.

The inquest heard he dived down several times before finding David's body.

He was helped to carry the body to shore by a nurse called Amy Saunders who was at the beach.

In a statement read out in court, she described the efforts to rescue David at the beach as "never experiencing trauma like it".

Simon Davies, Det Sgt of South Wales Police, who led the investigation, told the court it was "chaotic scenes" when he arrived at the beach with emergency services trying to revive David.

The coroner asked Mr Davies if there was any evidence that David "entered the water not of his own free will".

He said "no, none whatsoever".

He told the inquest David's mobile phone was taken away as evidence and that revealed the phone had been used to search for two things before David's death.

They were "how long should I wait after eating before swimming" and "what shorts to wear for swimming".

Previous searches were about sport training and nutrition.

The coroner also read a statement from David's mother, Maria Ejimofor, who said he had won athletics competitions, was a keen weightlifter and made TikTok tutorials on social media.

His mother's statement said he "achieved so much in his 15 years" and had aspirations to become a doctor.

She said he could swim after having lessons as a child but he was not confident in the water.

The statement added "he would not have put himself in a dangerous situation" because he was not a risk taker.

He often went to the beach because his family lived close by but was always cautious of the sea.

A statement was also read from Associated British Ports (ABP) who own the structure where David and his friends were.

It said the structure was not designed for recreational use, as it was "built as a break water and is not a pier".

"The purpose of it is to protect the entrance of Port Talbot docks from wind and waves," the statement added.

It also said there are signs warning of the dangers and it is checked monthly.

The inquest continues.