Lifeguard trio failed to spot drowning man

THREE lifeguards failed to save a violinist from drowning because of the “glare” on the surface of the swimming pool, an inquest has heard.

Dominic Hopkins, former leader of Norwich Philharmonic, died on Jan 28 2022 after getting into difficulty at University of East Anglia’s Sportspark.

Glare from lights and windows on the water of the pool may have been why lifeguards did not see him motionless in the water for seven minutes, the hearing was told. His family said he always wore a brightly coloured cap when he took his regular swims to help ease the symptoms of Marfan syndrome, a disorder of the body’s connective tissues.

He also suffered from epilepsy, the hearing was told.

Giving evidence, Peter Jefferson-wall, who was one of several “casual” lifeguards at the time of the incident, said: “Glare is a major risk in all swimming pools. As it was a long time ago, I cannot recall if there was glare – going off the facts I am going to say there was glare as I did not see him.

“There were a fair few people in the pool, so the water was moving a lot – glare aside, a lot of swimming going on in the water can affect visibility a lot.”

Norfolk coroner’s court was told that each lifeguard would sit in a chair, two fitted with underwater cameras, for 20 minutes before rotating or taking a break. It was during a handover period at 2.55pm that another swimmer told the lifeguards that Mr Hopkins was motionless on the floor of the shallow end of the pool. The lifeguards resuscitated the 57-year-old and he was taken to hospital where he died the next day.

Just a week before, he played in the orchestra at Norwich Theatre for the Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society’s production of The Sound of Music.

The inquest continues.