The inquest into the death of a beloved teen who got into difficulty as she played in the water with her friends has opened.
Lucy Smith, 14, was tragically found dead in a pond near Crowswood Drive in her home town of Stalybridge on Monday, August 15, after getting into difficulty around 6.30pm as she played in the water with her friends. Despite hours of desperate searching, her body was pulled from the water later that evening.
A hearing at Manchester South Coroner's Court on Tuesday, September 6, formally opened the inquest into her death, discussing the brief circumstances of the tragic incident, which saw tributes pour in from devastated friends.
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Senior police coroner's officer, Rita Wilkinson, told the court: "Lucy had been playing with friends in the pond by a local angling club when she got into difficulty and became submerged. A search was carried out and she was recovered some hours later by underwater search teams."
Lucy's body was identified by police who had been given a description of the young girl during the search, with her mum later confirming her daughter's identity. A post-mortem examination has been carried out, but has not yet concluded.
Assistant coroner Adrian Farrow adjourned the inquest until a full hearing can take place on February 17, with a further hearing scheduled for December 19 to ensure all the evidence is in place.
After the incident, Greater Manchester Police and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reiterated warnings for people not to swim in open water. Lucy's school, Copley Academy in Stalybridge, issued a public statement urging any of their pupils struggling with the death of their classmate to contact them for support.
The statement said, "Copley Academy are aware of the devastating news that a young member of our academy community sadly lost their life after getting into difficulty in open water on Monday evening. We want to offer our deepest sympathy to all of those involved in this tragedy.
"Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families, friends and local community at this extremely sad time. We would like to offer support and the support of a specialist team. To access this support or if you need anything else please let us know. Email mail@copleyacademy.org.uk."
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