Youth footballer 'drowned on exercise'

Mr Bolangi was a rising star in Charlton's youth team

A promising Charlton Athletic footballer died when he was told to cross a pond during a training exercise.

Winchester Crown Court was told youth team member Pierre Bolangi, 17, got into difficulties while part of a group staying at the army school of physical training in Aldershot, Hampshire.

The court heard that Army Staff Sergeant Dean May, 35, a physical training corps instructor, had instructed the boys to cross the pond during an endurance run as part of the group's five-day residential course.

Mr May, of Queen's Avenue, Aldershot, denies the manslaughter of Mr Bolangi through gross negligence.

He didn't ask the boys if they could swim

Richard Horwell, prosecuting

He also denies a failure to take care of the health and safety of staff and trainees of Charlton Athletic football club on 9 August 2000.

Richard Horwell, prosecuting, told the jury that Mr Bolangi had been a "gifted athlete and footballer" and had a bright future ahead of him.

"He died while in the care of this defendant," he said.

"May had taken a group of 14 young Charlton Athletic footballers on an endurance run across the army training ground on Aldershot Common.

"Well into the run, he led the boys across a large area of water known as Hoarse Pond.

"He gave the boys no warning or no instructions, or wholly inadequate instructions, of how to cross the pond.

"No system had been devised to ensure a safe crossing. He didn't ask the boys if they could swim."

Mr Horwell said that in some areas, the water was more than two metres deep.

'Quicksand' conditions

"The boys were inappropriately dressed for swimming and chaos ensued.

"The boys very soon got out of their depth and out of necessity had to swim."

The court heard that one boy had described the conditions in the pond as like walking on "quicksand".

"The water was cloudy and visibility was nil because of weeds and silt. Weeds and silt hampered movement, the boys were tired and a number got into severe difficulties," Mr Horwell said.

"Bolangi got into difficulties and decided to swim back.

"Panic is infectious and other boys, who also could not stand in the water, started to struggle and they soon became very frightened.

"A number thought they were going to die and they had to be saved but there were not enough hands to save everyone and tragically one of the boys, Pierre Bolangi, became isolated.

Mobile phone

"Notwithstanding his desperate attempts to stay alive the conditions got the better of him and he drowned."

Mr Horwell said that Mr May was arrested and interviewed by police on 10 October 2000.

The jury heard that Mr May had told officers the boys had got into trouble because they had been mucking about and that he had seen Mr Bolangi jump on the back of another boy.

Mr Horwell said that Mr May had also told officers that he had lost his mobile phone in the water trying to rescue the boys.

But the court heard that he had used the phone four hours after Mr Bolangi's death to call two people.

"It was his (Mr May) decision to take these boys across that pond in the manner he did.

"It was his responsibility and that responsibility cannot be transferred to anyone else.

"The defendant's gross negligence led to the death of Pierre Bolangi."

The case continues.