Harry Sykes: 'Slipshod' organisation of French rugby trip where Yorkshire 16-year-old boy drowned

Harry Sykes was on a college trip with the Halifax Elite Rugby Academy when he died on September 5, 2018.

The body of the 16-year-old, from Bradford, was recovered by divers from Lake Cayavere near Carcassonne, in southern France.

An inquest at Bradford Coroners’ Court heard he was found in two metres of water, 20 metres away from the beach.

Brothers Lee and Gareth Greenwood, both former professional rugby players who founded Halifax Elite Rugby Academy, took around 30 young players aged between 16 and 19 to the lake on the second full day of the trip.

Harry swam with a small group to some rocks and then had been seen playing volleyball in the water.

The inquest previously heard how Harry was reported missing after his team got back to the hotel and realised he had been left behind.

On Monday (Apr 25) Senior Coroner Martin Fleming said the organisation and preparation of the visit to the lake was “inadequate” and “slipshod”.

“This resulted in confusion and uncertainty with respect to supervision, which was at best, sporadic,” he said.

“The lack of head counts showed significant flaws in supervision and enabled Harry to disappear.”

Mr Fleming said that no-one had noticed Harry was not in a group photo taken before they left the lake, and that a “cursory” check of the beach had failed to alert them to the fact that Harry’s bag and towel were still there.

But, he said, “even if the ratio of supervision was as low as 1-10 or 1-6,” it remains unclear whether close supervision would have enabled anyone to save Harry, as the circumstances and time of his death are still a mystery.

Mr Fleming said: “There is no evidence he was at particular risk of drowning, no evidence he was in distress or called out for help.”

The inquest heard Lee and Gareth Greenwood had taken another adult on the trip as a supervisor, but that he was unaware of this, and was “under the impression he was there as an adult member of the team”.

The coroner found Gareth Greenwood “didn’t make himself clear enough” about the role.

Mr Fleming said the Greenwood brothers were in breach of their duties, with failings including, “taking insufficient supervisors to the lake, failing to supervise boys properly at times, failing to designate a supervisor when leaving the beach, failing to conduct head counts while on the beach”.

But he said these did not give rise to a serious risk of death and did not amount to gross negligence manslaughter.

Mr Fleming recorded a narrative conclusion that, “[Harry] suffered a cardiac event of uncertain origins while swimming and drowned in unclear circumstances when he was not observed to be in difficulties.

“It remains unclear whether if he had been seen and retrieved, it would have made any difference to the outcome.”

Following the inquest, Harry’s mother Natasha Burton said: “We are astounded that yet again justice has not been served for Harry.

“This was a tragic and unnecessary death. The coroner himself has said the organisation and preparation of this trip was inadequate and slipshod, with only sporadic supervision.

“There needs to be more failsafe procedures put in place for all students 16-18 years old regardless of their specialist activities.

“Harry continues to be missed by all his family. This is felt every day.”

Mrs Burton previously told the inquest Harry had been playing rugby since the age of eight or nine, and his dream was to play professionally.

He had been offered a place at Halifax Elite Rugby Academy after being handed a leaflet for the college at his rugby club.

Mrs Burton said the trip to France was a bonding session before the start of term.