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The father of a rugby participant has blasted a lodge after his son drowned in a swimming pool whilst holidaying in Cyprus.
Ben Woods, 21, was once on a getaway with circle of relatives when he died with out lifeguards even noticing he had long past beneath the water.
It was once different bathers who noticed the useless roof artisan, who performed for Leigh East rugby staff, within the pool at King Evalthon Beach Hotel and Resort in Paphos in July 2022.
He had were taking part in volleyball whilst lifeguards have been on the different finish of the pool ‘messing on their telephones’, a UK inquest into the loss of life heard.
No motion was once taken towards the lodge through government although a probe discovered it didn’t have a licence to function the swimming pool, along with his father claiming there were 3 deaths on the spot in 5 years.
Ben, his brother Joshua – a qualified rugby league participant, their folks and Ben’s uncle and his circle of relatives, have been taking part in a circle of relatives vacation at the island when the tragedy took place.
The 21-year-old’s father Michael Woods, in a observation learn out at Bolton Coroners’ Court on Wednesday, mentioned his son started a plumbing apprenticeship after he left Lowton High School, later changing into a roof artisan.
Ben had performed rugby league from the age of 11 and later performed for the novice facet Leigh East the place may experience taking part in ‘along with his friends’.
Bathers noticed useless Ben Woods, a roof artisan who performed for Leigh East rugby staff, beneath the water within the pool. Pictured along with his father Michael
Ben tragically died whilst he was once staying on the King Evalthon Beach Hotel and Resort in Paphos, Cyprus (File symbol of the lodge)
His son did not take leisure medicine, lived a ‘wholesome way of life’ and would best delight in a ‘social drink’ on Saturday nights as he was once running all through the week and was once taking part in rugby or coaching on Saturdays, mentioned Mr Woods. His son had ‘no important well being problems’, the inquest was once instructed.
The circle of relatives were taking part in vacations in Cyprus, the place they’d a villa, for 30 years and travelled to the island in July 2022 for his or her common summer time vacation, mentioned Mr Woods.
He mentioned the lodge’s ‘moderately massive’ pool was once divided through a bridge over its centre however that the lifeguards had stationed themselves at one finish, so have been not able to view occasions at the different facet of the bridge.
Ben was once a ‘respectable swimmer’ and went to play in a volleyball consultation organised through the lodge after lunch which started an hour later than deliberate at 4.40pm, mentioned Mr Woods. He he was once knowledgeable through one among his nephews that Ben was once ‘now not respiring’.
Mr Woods mentioned that by the point he arrived on the poolside individuals of the general public have been undertaking CPR on his son.
He mentioned he was once instructed two lifeguards had ‘been messing on their telephones’ on the different finish of the pool and had ‘not noted’ the opposite a part of the pool which they may now not have considered on account of the bridge.
An ambulance was once referred to as but it surely was once ‘moderately glaring they weren’t skilled paramedics simply skilled drivers’, mentioned Mr Woods. He mentioned he and his spouse, who labored in healthcare for 25 years, concluded the paramedics ‘did not appear to have a clue’.
He mentioned it took the ambulance 25 mins to succeed in the health facility and that the circle of relatives was once left with none replace within the automotive park for every other 30 mins once they have been knowledgeable their son was once in a essential situation. They have been knowledgeable he had died at 8pm.
‘We have been all devastated and stunned to lose Ben so all of sudden. His loss of life has been painful for all his friends and family,’ mentioned Mr Woods in his observation.
He mentioned police and health facility body of workers had proven his circle of relatives ‘no empathy’, and he mentioned police modified the reason for loss of life from ‘center assault’ to ‘inconclusive’ on their data.
When they have been summoned to a police station day after today, they have been ‘proven no empathy or dignity’, he mentioned.
The grieving father mentioned he refused to signal a observation passed to him through native police as it contained inaccuracies they refused to proper and so they refused to provide him a replica.
The circle of relatives hired a Cypriot legal professional however have been stunned to be informed there was once ‘no felony procedure’ in position. The UK inquest additionally heard the lodge didn’t have a licence for the pool.
A pass judgement on in Cyprus later concluded the loss of life was once a ‘straight-forward drowning’ and that there was once ‘no third-party involvement’ however mentioned the police had ‘no proper’ to forestall the circle of relatives taking key paperwork, Mr Woods mentioned. The pass judgement on apologised for ‘how we were handled’, he mentioned.
He mentioned he witnessed a ‘scene of chaos’ on the pool and what took place there was once ‘completely disgraceful’, pronouncing the only lifeguard didn’t seem to know the way to function a defibrillator. Hotel body of workers ‘didn’t permit our circle of relatives any dignity’ on the poolside and had proven ‘little or no empathy’
Guests desperately attempted to restore the person with CPR – and the lifeguards best spotted the sufferer was once subconscious after an entertainer screamed at them that the person were pulled out of the pool, a witness mentioned (record symbol of the pool)
Paphos (pictured) is a town at the southwestern coast of Cyprus and is a well-liked vacationer lodge, specific within the Kato Paphos space the place the circle of relatives have been staying
He went on his son’s loss of life was once the 1/3 on the pool in 5 years and ‘that cannot be proper’.
Mr Woods persisted: ‘Ben was once an excellent, enthusiastic and effective younger guy dwelling his highest existence and his absence will go away an enormous hollow in our lives.’
Eye-witness Dawn Wingfield, who was once additionally on vacation and is aware of the Woods circle of relatives, mentioned in a observation she spotted a ‘shadow’ beneath the water of any person mendacity immobile and she or he ‘shouted for assist’.
She mentioned she noticed a feminine lifeguard at the bridge who ran off to the lodge ‘to get assist’. One of the bathers dived into the pool and taken Ben to the skin, she mentioned. Ms Wingfield mentioned she began CPR.
A lifeguard returned with a defibrillator ‘however I do not believe he actually knew what he was once doing’ and it was once ‘as though they’d now not been correctly skilled’, mentioned Ms Wingfield, including that the native police didn’t way her for a observation and for the lodge ‘it simply gave the impression to be industry as same old’ for the remainder of the vacation.
Ms Wingfield mentioned the incident left her ‘deeply distressed’ and she or he would now not permit her kids close to the pool for the remainder of the vacation.
Documents from the government, referred to on the inquest, printed that lifeguard Charalambos Charalambous mentioned a colleague hooked up the defibrillator which helped to assist Ben breathe however that the respiring then stopped. Another holidaymaker, nurse Shakira Ryan, additionally assisted however mentioned the defibrillator ‘was once now not running correctly’.
Recording an unintended loss of life verdict, Manchester West Senior Coroner Timothy Brennand mentioned Ben were ‘medically have compatibility and smartly’ and a ‘competent swimmer’ however was once discovered ‘unresponsive’ beneath the water.
The 21-year-old didn’t regain awareness and he was once rushed through ambulance to Paphos General Hospital (pictured) the place he died
He mentioned the lifeguards have been ‘now not within the instant neighborhood’ and so had now not observed Ben on the backside of the pool and that he had ‘now not been at once seen’ beneath the water through the guards on responsibility.
The tragic 21-year-old was once taken to health facility in Pathos however died later. A submit mortem exam carried out in Cyprus, and approved through the United Kingdom coroner, concluded he died of ‘acute pneumonia brought about through the aspiration of gastric contents and terminal cardio-respiratory failure’.
Blood exams, best carried out in Cyprus six months after his loss of life, printed Ben had 106mg of alcohol in line with 100mls of blood. The criminal prohibit for using in the United Kingdom is 80mg.
Mr Brennand mentioned precisely how the aspiration took place ‘stays unclear’ and he discovered the Mr Woods had ate up just a ‘modest quantity of alcohol’.
‘He was once a tender guy who had had fun taking part in himself. He was once actively acutely aware of his personal well being. He was once typically moderately abstemious on account of his wearing prowess. Looking on the totality of the proof he was once ready to experience a social drink in that context,’ mentioned Mr Brennand, who added it could be ‘wholly improper’ for somebody to conclude alcohol ‘may well be thought to be a causative or contributory issue’.
He famous the incident was once after lunch and that he was once ‘engaged in bodily process’ through taking part in volleyball and this may occasionally have brought about him to attract water into his lungs. The coroner referred to as the incident a ‘tragic twist of fate’ which brought about the ‘worst imaginable nightmare possible’ for his folks.
In a observation launched following the inquest, the Woods circle of relatives mentioned it ‘respects’ the end result reached through the coroner and requested for privateness ‘for the gap to mourn Ben privately’.
Brother Josh Wood posted on Twitter in a while after Ben’sdeath: ‘The highest particular person ever my brother my highest good friend and my hero I really like you such a lot and simply need this be a nightmare. Fly top up there Ben RIP.’
Some 1,300 other folks attended Ben’s funeral provider.
His rugby membership, Leigh East, mentioned on the time: ‘It is with the best disappointment we need to announce the passing of Ben Woods, one among our younger Open Age gamers, after an twist of fate on vacation along with his circle of relatives.
‘Ben had performed at Leigh East from an overly younger age and had stepped forward during the age teams to grow to be a treasured member of our membership. Ben was once all the time there with a cheeky smile and will likely be sorely ignored.
‘Our ideas and condolences pass out to Mick, Mel and Josh, his friends and family at this saddest of occasions. RIP younger guy, you’ll by no means be forgotten.’
