Coroner finds drowning of school girl in River Irwell was accidental death
Shukri Yaya Abdi died after getting into difficulty in the water during the heatwave in June 2019.
Last updated 4th Dec 2020
The drowning of a 12-year-old Somalian girl in the River Irwell was an accidental death, a coroner has concluded.
The body of Shukri Abdi was recovered by underwater search teams in Bury on 27th June last year, a short time after she was reported missing by her mother.
On Friday, Joanne Kearsley, senior coroner for Manchester North, said Shukri entered the water with a 13-year-old girl and did so "following some encouragement''.
The other child was aware Shukri could not swim and was reliant on her to stay afloat, she said.
Both went to an area of the water which was deeper and at some point the other child tried to swim underwater, the coroner continued.
Ms Kearsley said: "At this point, on the balance of probabilities, a combination of deep water, together with Shukri panicking and the other child struggling to swim, meant that she probably pushed Shukri off.
"Shukri went under the water and drowned.''
In a separate investigation into Shukri's death, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) was asked to look into Greater Manchester Police's handling of the case.
The complaint also looked at whether officers treated Shukri’s family less favourably because of their ethnic background.
IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe: “I know the tragic circumstances of Shukri’s death were felt across the local area and beyond. Our thoughts and sympathies remain with her family and all those affected by this incident.
“We know Shukri’s death posed many questions – we can only answer those around the actions of individual officers. The complaints we received following her death were treated with the upmost seriousness and very carefully assessed against the evidence available to us.
“We found insufficient evidence to suggest that GMP did not conduct a thorough investigation and I am satisfied that it was carried out in line with national and local policies and procedures.
“However, while we did not uphold the complaints, I have asked that the SIO reflect upon his actions during the meeting with Shukri’s family, and consider how raising his voice could be perceived by those for whom English is a second or other language and/or from BAME backgrounds.
“We shared our findings with Shukri’s family before the inquest, and we have offered to meet with them. I know that nothing we can do or say will bring Shukri back, but I hope that our work provides the clarity and facts they had rightly sought.”