Grieving father’s plea: Leonard Hill made a statement outside Reading Coroner’s Court following the inquest into the death of his 11-year-old daughter, Kyra
The father of an 11-year-old Croydon schoolgirl who drowned at a birthday party at a Windsor water park has issued a plea for stronger regulations to be enforced at similar leisure facilities.
Tragic loss: Kyra Hill, aged 11, was said to be a strong swimmer
A coroner’s inquest found that Kyra Hill was unlawfully killed when she got into difficulty in a designated swimming area at Liquid Leisure, near Windsor, in August 2022.
Senior coroner Heidi Connor concluded that the tragedy had occurred following gross health and safety breaches at the park. The breaches related to the depth and visibility of the water and the absence of an emergency plan and risk assessment, the coroner found.
The inquest at Berkshire Coroner’s Court in Reading was told how Hill was not found for more than an hour after emergency services were first alerted. No checks of the park’s CCTV, to locate where Kyra Hill was last seen, were carried out before a professional diver arrived at the scene.
The owner of the park was fined £80,000 in June 2024.
The only warning signs at the park related to shallow water, despite the lake being as deep as 15ft in parts of the swimming area. Coroner Connor described the signs as “falsely reassuring”.
The fact that parents were not made aware of the risks or the depth of the water was “likely to have caused or contributed more than minimally” to the child’s death, the coroner said.
“If there had been systems in place to make parents and carers aware that there were deep parts of the water, that there was a requirement for one adult per four children in the water… then it is unlikely that Kyra would have got into trouble in the water as she did,” Coroner Conner said.
Visibility in the water was described as “zero” by the diver who found the child’s body. This also contributed to Hill’s death, the coroner said.
After the hearing, Leonard Hill, Kyra’s father, fought back the tears as he read a statement outside the coroner’s court. “Kyra was a beautiful, beaming beacon of light in the lives of all who were fortunate enough to know her.
“With her naturally enchanting, bright and beautiful eyes – paired with the softest, sweetest and warmest smile – she captivated hearts effortlessly.
“A spirited individual, Kyra was resolute in her beliefs. She would stand up for what was right without hesitation, always the first to challenge a bully or defend a friend.
“Our beloved Kyra was a remarkably strong and exceptional swimmer, a true champion in the water. Yet, despite her strength, her life was tragically cut short.”
He said he would campaign for better safety regulations at water parks.
Water park: the future of Liquid Leisure, near Windsor, is uncertain following the 2022 tragedy
Life jackets were only required for children aged three to five at the water park, or for those who were not competent swimmers.
The inquest heard accounts from several witnesses who described a situation where there was few systems for conducting an orderly search, and where there was confusion over what had happened in the minutes immediately after Kyra Hall went missing.
One lifeguard who was on the scene was 17 at the time of the fatal incident. She told the court that she had dived in after spotting that Hill was struggling, but visibility in the water was “terrible” and she “couldn’t see anything”.
When the lifeguard asked a nearby group if there had been someone there, they said “they got out”.
While the lifeguard reported to colleagues and a manager, emergency services were only called 37 minutes after Kyra Hill was last seen.
Kelly Edwards, a mum with her own daughter at the water park that day, recalled asking a senior member of staff to stop the music as it was “so loud” and requested they make “an announcement that a child was missing”. No announcement was made, the inquest heard.
“It was like a nightmare that wouldn’t stop, the music wasn’t stopping, people were carrying on, still in the waters.
“They weren’t being moved and I was screaming for Kyra, for people to do something.”
Liquid Leisure’s owner and director Stuart Marston told the inquest the incident was taken “very seriously” from the moment he was made aware.
“We had conflicting reports of where Kyra was last seen, it was very difficult and confusing – I was panicking,” Marston admitted.
Giving her conclusions, Coroner Connor said: “Members of the family, at no point have I forgotten that this was about your 11-year-old, Kyra, and I am so very sorry that you are here today.
“It must have been incredibly difficult to sit in court and hear some of the evidence that we’ve heard. I offer all of you my heartfelt condolences.”
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I don’t understand why nobody at Liquid Leisure is facing a corporate manslaughter charge. If you want to kill someone in this country, do it while driving or being a company director. You’ll get away with it