St Helens pond tragedy: Victim named as John Simmons

Feb 13 2008

FRIENDS today named the victim of the the St Helens pond tragedy as teenager John Simmons.

The teenager was playing with four friends just before midnight when they all fell into the pond off Senator Road in St Helens, Merseyside.

The boy’s companions managed to escape from the freezing water to raise the alarm but he could not be saved.

His body was recovered by Merseyside Police’s underwater search team.

A force spokesman said the boy’s family have been informed and formal identification will take place later today.

The coroner has been notified.

The large pond, known locally as the Clegg, is on open ground surrounded by a new housing estate.

At regular points there are hazard signs warning of the danger of deep water.

Today, two police officers stood guard at the spot where the children are thought to have entered the water.

The woman who lives nearest, who declined to give her name, said: “I was in bed and I had heard the boys splashing about, then there was a knock on the door.

“There was a few of them, they were shouting ’He’s drowning, he’s drowning’.

“My partner called the police. The helicopter and the divers came out but it was too late for him.”

She said the dead boy was named John by his friends. He is thought to live on a neighbouring estate.

The woman said the Clegg is a popular spot for feeding ducks and dog walkers.

She said it is very unusual for children to be playing there at night and at this time of year.

She said: “You do get kids down there, obviously - it’s a place for them to play.

“But there’s not been anybody down there for months. I’ve got two kids, a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old, and I’ve never had any reason to worry about the water before.”

Lillian Norcross, who lives opposite the scene, said the isolated spot makes it popular with youths who gather at night to drink alcohol.

She said: “I heard the noise of the lads last night but I’m used to it now.

“I was worried because it was below freezing and it was very late.

“A few minutes later there was an ambulance outside my house. I assumed somebody had tried to jump into the water - you get a lot of horseplay there.

“An old man jumped into the water last year and it was beyond his abilities. He couldn’t cope and he died.”

Mrs Norcross said the Clegg had swollen in recent weeks due to heavy rain.

She said there is an island in the centre which is popular with anglers and birdwatchers.

She also said neighbours had spoken to police about problems caused by youths who gathered, drinking, at the lake.

She said: “They walk past with carrier bags full of beer and sometimes they cause trouble, tipping wheelie bins over or smashing windows, that sort of thing.

“And when I say gangs, I’m talking of groups of about 20 to 30 people.

“We had a meeting at the school with the police and, to be fair, it stopped after that.”

A bunch of roses and a card reading ``my baby'' was left close to the scene by the girlfriend of the boy who died.

Her father, who did not give his name, said she would not be answering any questions.

The youth was named locally as John Simmons.

Natalie Woodhead, who lives nearby and knows the family, described John as a “cheeky teenager”.

She said: “John was a lovely lad, I’m really shocked that this has happened to him.

“When I heard the news this morning, I never thought it would be somebody I know and somebody who knows the Clegg so well.

“He was a typical cheeky teenager.”

Miss Woodhead said when she was a teenager, like others, she would hang around by the Clegg.

But she said: “There are big signs warning about the danger, everybody knows about it.

“My mum used to tell me all the time don’t go near the water.

“But the kids do go there, especially during the summer.”

It is thought John was a student at nearby Cowley Language College.