Girl of six who couldn’t swim drowned on a church trip to seaside
A GIRL of six drowned on a packed beach during a trip with her church, an inquest heard.
Dajahnel Young, who could not swim, was found floating in the water near the harbour in Margate, Kent, on one of the hottest days last year.
Her mother, Camille Remekie, said she told the trip organisers Cynthia and Fitzroy Robinson to keep her daughter – who was known by her middle name, Amazin – out of the water.
However, Mrs Robinson denies receiving this instruction. Miss Remekie said she was initially reluctant to allow Amazin on the trip because she did not want her going in the ‘dirty’ sea, but gave permission ‘at the last minute’.
A distraught Miss Remekie yesterday left an inquest in tears after a coroner ruled her daughter’s death an accident. He also found that the Robinsons’ actions were not negligent and did not amount to ‘gross failure’.
The inquest heard that Amazin, from Erith, south-east London, was one of 25 children reported missing on the beach on July 28, 2018. Coroner Alan Blunsdon said: ‘ With the exception of Amazin all children reported missing were restored to their parents that day.’ Miss Remekie had lived with the Robinsons on and off for several years before she gave birth to her daughter.
She and the Robinsons had a rocky relationship, often falling out, and had not spoken for several months before the trip.
Miss Remekie believed allowing Amazin to go to the beach that day could have been a positive step towards repairing her relationship with the Robinsons.
Amazin last spoke to her mother on a video call at 2.04pm, the inquest was told. Mrs Robinson was filming a video on her phone when she realised the child was missing – cutting short the video at about 2.24pm to go and look for her.
Amazin was discovered in the sea by a passerby, who initially thought she was a ‘floating plank of debris’ before realising it was the body of a child. She was found at around 3.13pm and was pronounced dead in hospital after resuscitation attempts failed.
Speaking at the conclusion of the inquest in Sandwich, Kent, Mr Blunsdon said there was no evidence of why Amazin left the group, ‘or where she went’.
He suggested she may have gone to join Mr Robinson ‘on the shoreline’, or followed an older group of children ‘discussing going to purchase ice cream’.
He added: ‘What did become clear
‘Keep my baby out of the water’
from the narration of the mobile phone video of Mrs Robinson is that she did not believe her to be lost.’
He concluded that Amazin probably entered the water on purpose, but ‘did not realise that it would lead her into peril’.
The inquest heard Miss Remekie did not want Amazin swimming in ‘dirty water’ that day without her there. Miss Remekie claims she told Mrs Robinson to keep ‘her baby out the water’. The Robinsons deny being given any such orders.
The inquest also heard that another child recalled Mrs Robinson telling Amazin to go ‘down to the sea to wash her hands’ after she wet herself during the day. Mrs Robinson said she did not say this. The ‘active and inquisitive’ girl was part of a group of eight children aged 12 and under at the beach.
Amazin had been collecting seashells to give to her mother as a present before she died.