Friday September 21, 2007
The parents of a young boy who drowned in a pond have hit out at community support officers who stood by and witnessed the incident without acting.
Tracy Lyon and Anthony Ganderton say they do not accept the officers' explanation that they were not trained to deal with the situation.
The officers were sent to the beauty spot in Wigan, Greater Manchester after reports that two children had got into difficulty.
Jordon Lyon, 10, had jumped into the water to help his eight-year-old stepsister Bethany. When Jordon's stepfather and a friend rushed to the scene they saw the police community support officers (PCSOs) standing at the side of the pond, an inquest heard.
Jordon was eventually pulled from the water but was later pronounced dead in hospital.
His mother, Tracy Lyon, and stepfather Anthony Ganderton, said they could not understand why the PCSOs did not act or why they did not give evidence at the inquest.
Mr Ganderton told the inquest: "I don't know why they didn't go in. I can't understand it.
"If I had been walking along a canal and seen a child drowning I would have jumped in.
"You don't have to be trained to jump in after a drowning child."
In a statement after the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Phil Owen, of Wigan CID, said: "PCSOs are not trained to deal with incidents such as this.
"Both ourselves and the fire brigade regularly warn the public of the dangers of going into unknown stretches of water so it would have been inappropriate for PCSOs, who are not trained in water rescue, to enter the pond. "This was a tragic incident where a young boy lost his life and we would once again want to pass on our heartfelt condolences to Jordon's family."
A verdict of accidental death was recorded.
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