BRAVE FIANCEE TRIED TO SAVE RUGBY PLAYER IN MARINA DROWNING TRAGEDY
ABRAVE fiancée jumped into a marina at night to try to save her rugby player partner who could hardly swim and was struggling in the water.
Leanne Silvester dived again and again as she desperately tried to reach Owain Jones, 32 – who himself had entered the water believing someone needed rescuing – but he was sinking deeper and she could not bring him to the surface.
“I remember being in the ambulance, but I still wanted to get back in and save him,” she said in a statement read out during the inquest into his death yesterday.
The hearing in Pontypridd was told the incident happened at Penarth Marina on the night of October 12 last year.
Ms Silvester said she met Cardiff Saracens RFC player Mr Jones at the Miller & Carter restaurant in the Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff Bay after work.
They had a meal there and then got a taxi to Pier 64 where they had some drinks before walking home.
She described Mr Jones as “a bit of a dawdler” and said he was walking a few steps behind her looking at birds in the marina.
Ms Silvester recalled her partner shouted to her that he had seen someone in the water. “I could see he had taken his coat off,” she said. “Then I saw him jump into the marina. I could see he was struggling and I shouted at him to tread water.”
Mr Jones’ family said he was “not a strong swimmer” and his partner shouted for help and she jumped into the water to assist him.
“I tried three or four times to get him but he was getting lower and lower,” said Ms Silvester. “I tried to dive down but he was too far away. I swam to a ladder to try and get my breath back then I was pulled out of the water. I felt myself being restrained.”
She said she wanted to go back in and help her fiancé and then remembers officers telling her he was out of the water.
Ms Silvester said they met six and a half years ago and were both selfemployed contractors for Lloyds Banking Group. They moved in together six months later before taking a year out to travel the world together. They got engaged while they were travelling.
She described Mr Jones as “the life and soul of the party” and a person who “got on with everyone”.
Witness Kevin Fairlie, who radioed the harbour master, was on his boat The Sitting Duck when he heard the couple walking along the marina.
He said he saw a man “leap over the railings” into the water. He added: “I did not see him take his shoes off.”
Detective Constable Gavin Owen told the hearing there was no evidence to suggest anyone was in the water when Mr Jones jumped in.
He told the hearing there were no suspicious circumstances, no-one else was involved, and there was no evidence to suggest suicide.
Mr Jones was pronounced dead at 9.55am on October 13, 2018.
Toxicologist Donna Cameron found 206mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in the sample she tested.
She said the result was likely to indicate “moderate drunkeness” depending on the person’s alcohol tolerance.
Coroner Graeme Hughes recorded the medical cause of death as drowning and cardiac failure and a conclusion of misadventure.