Marcel Wochna 'left alone to drown' says mum after inquest

The 15-year-old jumped into the water at Cobden Marina to evade police in the early hours of November 8, 2021. 

Following a seven-day inquest at Winchester Coroner's Court, a jury found a lack of immediate action by officers "probably contributed" to Marcel's death. 

The inquest heard PC William Chan and PC Keely Miles were not aware of the policy for working near water and Marcel's death was contributed to by neglect, jurors found.

Beata Wochna with Caroline Bayyoud and Matthew Turner outside Winchester Coroners Court (Image: BBC)

In a statement, Marcel's mother, Beata Wochna, said her son's death had been "completely devastating for me and my family".

"I have never been able to understand why the police officers simply left my son, and I’ve always believed that Marcel probably would have survived if only the officers had taken some action to help him.

"Instead he was left alone to drown in the dark, cold water.

"Hampshire Constabulary has never apologised to me for their failings, even during the course of this inquest as their failings became so painfully apparent.

"Although nothing can ever bring Marcel back, I truly hope that lessons are learned so that another family doesn’t have to go through the pain we’ve gone through."

Marcel Wochna (Image: Newsquest)

Solicitors Caroline Bayyoud and Matthew Turner, who represent Marcel's family, said the evidence heard in the inquest was "utterly tragic". 

"When he went into the water, Marcel was provided with no aid whatsoever and he was effectively left to drown.

"The attending officers did not shout out to him, did not throw him a buoyancy aid, did not even shine a torch on him to see whether he was struggling. 

"They simply turned around and walked away. The expert evidence was that Marcel would have quickly become incapacitated by cold water shock and the weight of his waterlogged clothing.

"Whilst Hampshire Constabulary yesterday confirmed that they would reflect on the case and review the training provided to officers on water safety, it does not appear that any action was taken in the two years since Marcel’s death.   

"It is clear that to avoid this tragedy from happening again, front line police officers in Hampshire and beyond must urgently receive appropriate training on the dangers posed by water, and cold-water shock, as well as the steps to take to rescue someone in water."

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The coroner said he would be writing to the Chief Constable of Hampshire police expressing his concerns as part of his duty to prevent future deaths. 

Paul Southey, the force's chief superintendent, said: “This was a terribly tragic incident in which a young person lost their life. Our thoughts are with Marcel Wochna’s family and friends.

“Working next to water is incredibly dangerous, and officers have to quickly assess the risks to all those involved, both on water and on land.

“We note the findings of the jury, and the comments made by the coroner.

“As part of this process, we are already reviewing our policies and training for working near water, including the frequency of that training and the awareness of cold water shock. We will now review the coroner’s written report once received and implement any relevant recommendations.”