Christopher Kapessa's mother accuses police and CPS of racism following his death

Christopher Kapessa drowned in the River Cynon, near Fernhill, last year.

He was thirteen years old.

Within 24 hours of his death, South Wales Police declared it an accident with no suspicious circumstances.

Now the CPS say there is “sufficient evidence” to bring a prosecution case for manslaughter - but that there is no “public interest” in doing so.

What happened?

Christopher was with a group of other young people by the River Cynon on 1 July 2019 when he drowned. He could not swim.

Initially, police told his mother that he had slipped into the river. It was concluded that there were no suspicious circumstances and that his death was a tragic accident.

But serious concerns about the investigation were raised by Christopher’s mother.

With the help of charity The Monitoring Group, she lodged a discrimination complaint against South Wales Police.

South Wales Police said they were aware of the family's concerns and they have "confidence" the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Christopher's death was "comprehensive and thorough."

Almost a month after Christopher’s death, the investigation was handed over to a major crime investigation team.

In a letter written to Christopher’s mother last month, the CPS said there was sufficient evidence to bring a prosecution case against a suspect for manslaughter.

It said there was clear evidence the suspect pushed Christopher "with two hands" into the river, but "the push was not in an effort to harm someone but was ill-considered by a young boy who had not considered the full potential of the consequences."

But it said there was no public interest in prosecuting the suspect, adding that he has no previous convictions or cautions, is "mature and intelligent for his age" and has a "good school record".

The CPS said that “Decisions on cases such as this are difficult, but each must be judged on its own merit. Careful consideration was given to the law regarding the prosecution of youths and the public interest test was not met. Our thoughts are with Christopher’s family.”

It added evidence suggested the push was "not in an effort to harm someone" but "ill considered".

What happens next?

The case has attracted attention from groups such as Stand Up to Racismand become part of a wider campaign to investigate black children’s deaths.

One such petition gained more than 5,000 signatures. It links Christopher’s case to that of Shukri Yahya Abdi, who drowned in a river in Lancashire. The petition uses the slogan #BlackChildrensLivesMatter.

Christopher's family told ITV News they did not feel that justice has been reached. They are waiting for the results of a formal review of the CPS’ decision.

The police watchdog's investigation into South Wales Police's handling of the case is still ongoing.