Christopher Kapessa previously escaped house fire

The family of a 13-year-old boy whose body was found in a river were still recovering from losing everything in a house fire, their solicitor has said.

Christopher Kapessa was pulled from the river near Mountain Ash, on 1 July.

Fourteen months earlier Christopher and his six siblings escaped when a fire broke out at their house in Hirwaun, when their mother Alina Joseph was out.

Hilary Brown, from Race Alliance Wales, is supporting the family and said they had also suffered racist abuse.

She said Ms Joseph was still recovering from the house fire at the time of Christopher's death.

"This is a lady who doesn't know whether she's going to be able to cope with life any more at this time," Ms Brown said.

"She's a black lady with seven black children of African heritage who had faced everything from racial abuse to assault, to offensive graffiti being daubed in and around her home.

"We're doing the best we can to keep her focused on the other children, on herself and her own health."

She said Christopher's brothers and sisters were "coping the best they can" but the younger ones were not sure whether he was going to be coming back.

On Wednesday, a discrimination complaint was lodged against South Wales Police by charity The Monitoring Group on behalf of Ms Joseph.

It claims the investigation had not been conducted properly and the family discriminated against "because of their ethnic origin".

The force said its investigation into what happened at the river is continuing, but the complaint had also been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael said: "If there is a complaint, you've got to take it seriously. You've got to follow the evidence where it leads and my first response was to make sure that everything was in place to ensure the complaint is taken seriously.

"I am satisfied with that. I have been asked to establish an independent monitoring group to oversee that and that is in place now within policing.

"Obviously there are those who are going to look from the outside as to what happens and I hope that they will see that the most robust approach possible has been put in place as far as I'm concerned and as far as operational policing is concerned."

Christopher's funeral will be on Friday at 10:30 BST at St Margaret's Church, Mountain Ash.