Hotel safety questioned after boy’s pool death
THE parents of a little boy who died on a family holiday to Greece after falling into a swimming pool said their hotel room did not have a chain lock.
Five-year-old Theo Treharne-Jones is believed to have drowned in the swimming pool at the Atlantica Holiday Village on the island of Kos on June 15.
Despite attempts to save his life by a first-aider and guest at the hotel Theo, from Merthyr Tydfil, was pronounced dead in hospital.
He was on holiday with his parents Nina Treharne and Richard Jones, along with his siblings and extended family.
It is believed the Greenfield School pupil woke up before his family and was able to get out of his hotel room on his own.
Speaking at a pre-inquest review hearing at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court yesterday, Ms Treharne said the family had been to the same hotel the year before, but when they returned in 2019 they were given a hotel room without a chain lock.
She said: “This block we were put in was nicer than the others, but none of its rooms had chain locks on the door. Other people who have left reviews on TripAdvisor said they had to put a pram and a table by the door for safety reasons.
“All the other blocks were wooden doors that could be locked inside and had chain locks on the door, but the one we had was different to every block.”
Assistant coroner Nadim Bashir asked for clarification about the lock. He said: “You could lock the door that would prevent someone from outside coming in but you could open it from inside?”
Mr Jones replied: “There was no way to lock the door from inside.”
Mona Bayoumi, representing Tui UK Ltd, said it was understood by the company that the lock mechanism was the same as any other hotel.
Mr Bashir asked for the scope of the inquest to include the journey Theo made from the hotel room to the swimming pool, the type of doors and locks in use, how the pool’s access is restricted, whether there was CCTV or a guard patrolling the pool, and whether anything could have been done to prevent a child from accessing the pool.
He asked Theo’s family and Ms Bayoumi if they were aware of any Tui holiday reps working at the hotel, or whether they were employed by the hotel
The coroner said he would be able to ask Tui employees to attend the inquest, but had little jurisdiction over Greek nationals or residents.
Ms Bayoumi said she would clarify the situation, but told the court the hotel would be closing for the season on October 31 and would not be reopening until May 2020 so inquiries would have to be made swiftly.
Mr Bashir said Ms Treharne and hotel guest Adam Holmes, who performed CPR on Theo, would be required to give evidence as well as a holiday rep if they could be found.
A date for the inquest has yet to be set, but will take place at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court without a jury.