Christopher Kapessa: Teen denies pushing boy into river

A teenager has denied pushing a boy into a river before he drowned, saying he "fell into" him.

Christopher Kapessa died after the incident in the River Cynon at Fernhill, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in 2019.

The teenager, who was 14 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, denied walking behind Christopher and intentionally pushing him in.

He told the inquest in Pontypridd that Christopher was "excited to go in but he couldn't swim very good".

He said he knew Christopher through school but had not known him long.

On 1 July 2019, a group of young people had arranged a visit to an area known as the red bridge, he told the coroner.

He said he saw Christopher getting changed on the bridge while other boys jumped in.

South Wales Central Coroner's Court heard he had jumped in himself and the water was too deep to stand up in, adding he felt scared and nervous the current might take him.

He said he was close behind Christopher immediately before he entered the water and "fell into him".

Christopher was immediately in the water after the physical contact, he said.

When asked if he intentionally pushed Christopher into the water with the palms of his hands, he replied "no".

The teenager said he "couldn't remember" who else had gone into the water after Christopher had gone in.

The inquest had previously heard evidence from Killian Haslam, 18, who had been one of the boys at the river on the day of Christopher's death.

Mr Haslam had told the inquest that the other teenager was standing behind Christopher and asked "Shall I push him?".

Asked whether he had told Mr Haslam that he would push Christopher into the water "as a joke", the teenager replied: "No."

The teenager was questioned further by Michael Mansfield, the barrister representing Christopher's family.

Asked how he had come into contact with Christopher, causing him to fall in, the teenager said that he was "coming down from the bridge… and I slipped into him".

Mr Mansfield asked: "How are you moving between the bridge and Christopher?"

The teenager responded: "Not walking, but not running - at a fast moving pace."

Asked whether he had said anything to anybody before going down to Christopher, the teenager replied: "I said to Chris 'wait there, I'll come down and jump in with you now'."

He was then asked by Mr Mansfield why none of those who were present on the day had given the same version of events as him in their evidence.

Mr Mansfield said: "That must have made you wonder about the truth, has it?"

The teenager replied: "No."

"Would you reconsider right now as to whether the truth really is that you pushed him, deliberately?" asked Mr Mansfield.

"The truth is that you did push him in, whether as a joke or messing about, that's what you did to get him in the water?"

"No," replied the teenager. "There was contact, but I did not push him in."

The teenager also denied that there had been a sporting "rivalry" between himself and Christopher, which would have led him to being "full of himself" when he'd already jumped in the river and Christopher had not.

The inquest continues.