A coroner has concluded that the death of an 11-year-old girl who drowned in a shallow hotel pool during a family holiday in Spain was a tragic accident. The inquest heard that Francesca Blease, from Crewe in Cheshire, had a significant fear of water and no real ability to swim.
Tragic Incident at Club Jandia Princess Hotel
Francesca Blease was found unresponsive after being pulled from the children's pool at the Club Jandia Princess Hotel in Fuerteventura, part of Spain's Canary Islands. The incident occurred on the afternoon of August 7 last year, during what was the family's first holiday abroad together.
A fellow hotel guest noticed the young girl floating face down in the water. Despite immediate intervention from two holidaymakers – one a midwife and the other an intensive care physiotherapist – who performed CPR at the poolside, Francesca could not be revived. She was airlifted to a hospital in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, but died the following day from severe brain hypoxia.
Coroner's Findings and Family Statement
Senior coroner for Cheshire, Jacqueline Devonish, recorded a conclusion of accidental death. She stated that there was no foreseeable risk for a child of Francesca's age in what she described as a "very, very shallow pool" with a depth ranging from just 10cm to 60cm.
"There is no expectation that this could have occurred," Ms Devonish told Cheshire Coroner's Court. "There was no reason for her family to believe that she could have come to harm in the circumstances."
The coroner noted that Francesca showed no signs of prior distress and that even other pool users did not suspect a problem. No evidence of trauma was found during the investigation.
Expert Testimony and Unanswered Questions
Consultant anaesthetist Dr Patrick Morgan, an expert in drowning physiology, suggested one possibility was that Francesca lost her footing, panicked, and then inhaled water. The inquest heard a suggestion that children in the pool had been playing a game to see who could stay underwater the longest, but the coroner dismissed this as "simply hearsay."
"Unfortunately we do have an area of evidence where we cannot say for certain what caused Francesca to find herself in that position where she was face down in the pool," Ms Devonish concluded. "It is unfortunate we have not been able to understand that."
A Mother's Heartbreaking Tribute
In a statement read to the court, Francesca's mother, Joanne Blease, described her daughter as a "smiley, happy, healthy baby, which is also the child she grew into." She added that Francesca had lots of friends and was very well-liked by her teachers, and was "never without a smile on her face."
Ms Blease explained that her daughter was "terrified" of water and did not want to play in the adult pool, so she was allowed to go to the shallow children's pool. At the time of the incident, Ms Blease had gone to the hotel reception to ask about holiday excursions, while Francesca's grandmother was sat on a sunlounger with Francesca's younger sister, facing away from the smaller pool.
"A part of her died" on the day she lost her daughter, Ms Blease told the court. "I feel her absence always like a constant missing piece. Francesca would light up any room she was in. She never had down days and could see happiness in everything."
