Pair admit leaving boy to drown

Shane Owoo's body was recovered last September

Two men who pushed a boy into a pond and watched him drown after he took a bike have admitted killing him.

The body of Shane Owoo, 16, was recovered from Lunt Pool in Bilston, West Midlands, on 30 September 2007.

Christopher Lewis, 22, and Marvin Walker, 21, both from Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court.

Tobias Davies, 21, of Wolverhampton, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Davies had also been charged with manslaughter, but the Crown offered no evidence for manslaughter so he was formally cleared of the charge.

'Punishment swim'

The boy was made to enter the pool after a row over a bike, police said.

Shane had been assaulted in the street and then "escorted" to the pool by Walker and Lewis for a "punishment swim" on 29 September, the court heard.

Sticks and stones were used to stop the youngster, described by police as "not a strong swimmer", from getting out of the water.

Det Insp Simon Richards, from West Midlands Police, said: "Shane had taken a bike. One of the defendants owned that bike.

"Whether Shane was going to give that bike back or not I can't say because he wasn't given the opportunity.

"It was quite clear that he needed to get out of the pool but he wasn't allowed."

His family released a statement shortly after his death, describing him as a "typical teenager" who loved music and reading Harry Potter books.

All three defendants will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 25 April.