Quarry fall boy tried to save friend, inquest told

The death of a 15-year-old boy who fell into a quarry while trying to save a friend was an accident, a coroner has concluded.

Myron Davies died from "multiple blunt force injuries to the head and trunk" at the quarry in Abersychan, Torfaen, on 6 July 2022.

Newport Coroner's Court heard he was at the quarry with a 14-year-old girl who fell first and that Myron "reacted instinctively to save her".

Coroner Caroline Saunders concluded it was a "tragic accident".

The court heard Myron was a popular boy and was "loved by everyone".

On the day of the accident he told his mother he was going to meet a friend and did not need to be picked up from school.

The court heard there had been "no concerns" about Myron at school and he had put his laptop on to charge at the end of the day, as normal.

The court was read a statement from Lloyd Whitelock, whose back garden has a view of the quarry, but from some distance.

He was having a drink in his garden at around 18:15 BST when "something caught his attention" at the quarry, recalling how "a person came from nowhere and walked close to the cliff edge".

He said he initially thought it was someone tall but later realised it was two people, with the second person "about two feet below".

He said he was left "in total shock" as the person lower down the cliff "fell straight down in a line", causing the other person to "jerk" before they also fell after a short delay.

"I am sure they did not jump," he said.

Police interviewed the 14 year-old girl who was with Myron at the quarry, but the court heard she had "limited memory of the event".

The court was read parts of the interview is which she recalled being "happy" on the day of the incident, saying Myron was "happy" and "his normal self".

She said they had gone to to the quarry to enjoy the view and had been there together before.

She could not remember how they had fallen but said she had flashbacks of the event.

The court heard she was treated in hospital for "significant injuries" sustained in the fall.

Det Ch Insp Leigh Holborn, now retired, investigated for Gwent police and said there had been "horrendous rumours" about "third-party involvement" in the incident despite there being no evidence that anyone else was at the quarry.

He said it appeared that the girl had fallen first with Myron reacting.

"Myron has gone to try and help her, which you would," he told the court, saying he would do "everything he can" to stop her from falling".

He also said there was no evidence to suggest there was a "suicide pact" between the two, saying he believed messages in which Myron talked about going to the quarry to hurt himself were "throwaway comments".

The court heard that some fencing had been put up at the top of the quarry cliff since Myron's death, but that there was some uncertainty about who owned the site.

Corner Caroline Saunders concluded that Myron's death was an "accident".

"[The girl] was slightly in front of Myron and slipped and fell and Myron instinctively reacted to save her."

"The edge of quarry is a dangerous place to be," she added.