Footballer describes team-mate's death

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

A former youth player with a Premiership football club has told a court how a team-mate drowned when an army sergeant led them through a freezing lake.

Pierre Bolangi, 17, who was described by his club Charlton Athletic as "gifted", died as he tried to swim across the weed-infested pond.

Physical training corps instructor Dean May, from Aldershot, denies the manslaughter of Mr Bolangi through gross negligence and a failure to take care of the health and safety of staff and trainees of the football club.

The youths were on a five-day residential course when the tragedy happened, said former player Chris Taylor.

I could see people going under and coming back up and grabbing each other

Chris Taylor

He told Winchester Crown Court that he had been at the front of an endurance run on Aldershot Common in Hampshire, in 9 August 2000.

It was the third day of the group's course at the Army School of Physical Training.

Mr Taylor, who has since left the south London club, told the court the 15 boys and two adults had been running in Army overalls when Mr May stopped at the top of a hill and asked: "Does anybody fancy a swim?"

The 19-year-old, who told the court he and Pierre had been friends since they were 14, said that 30 seconds later the 35-year-old staff sergeant, who had told the players to do everything he did, led them into the lake.

Mr Taylor, who is six feet (1.83 metres), said: "By the time we reached the pond I was tired because we had been running for about 50 minutes.

'Feet sinking'

"As I walked in and the water got deeper I asked Dean May 'do we walk or swim across?'

"He said 'do whatever you have to do to get to the other side.'

"When we reached the middle of the lake Dean May asked us to stop because there were some swans on the opposite bank."

The players trod water for about 15 seconds before the birds flew off and Sgt May told them to continue.

"I got three quarters of the way when I was pulled down by my team-mate Tommy Evans," Mr Taylor continued.

"My suit filled up with water and I started to struggle and went under.

"When I came up I turned round and Tommy was flapping his arms and going under and coming back up and grabbing hold of me. He seemed to be distressed."

There were arms waving everywhere and a wall of splashing

Chris Taylor

After scrambling to safety Mr Taylor said he had looked round and seen "a big group of them splashing" 10 feet (three metres) from the other bank.

"I heard one of my friends shout 'where's Bolangi?' There were arms waving everywhere and a wall of splashing. I could see people going under and coming back up and grabbing each other.

"Dean May was in the middle. He was diving under and coming back up.

"He said to our coach Dave Burke 'you should have told me some of them can't swim'."

Mr Taylor said some of the players began sobbing. The group was then taken to hospital.

Another footballer on the endurance run Mark Royal, 20, said Mr May had agreed when Mr Burke had asked if those who were not good swimmers could walk around.

Heart defect

But Yohance Lewis told the court Mr May had told the reluctant boys: "Follow me.

"Don't worry it's only waist deep - you can wade through it."

The boys had felt they had to go in because earlier in the run Mr May had lost his temper with some who had tried to side-step a puddle, Mr Lewis added.

A post-mortem examination revealed a heart defect that could have led to Pierre losing consciousness.

But Mr Royal and Mr Lewis told the court he had been one of the fittest in the group.

The trial continues.