EXCLUSIVE: Mum demands easier access to life-saving equipment after son drowns

A Leeds mum whose son drowned in the River Aire in Leeds has told us of her heartbreak, after learning the people trying to help him couldn't access a potentially life-saving flotation device.

29-year-old Marcus Castle was pulled from the water near Armouries Way on 17 December 2023.

He had been at his work's Christmas party and despite desperate attempts from passers-by to help, he died in the hospital the next day.

His mum, Katrina Castle has been speaking to us after learning that a passer-by rang 999 but the ambulance call handler didn't have access to a pin code which could have unlocked a throwline - a floating rope designed to help those in trouble in the water.

According to Reach and Rescue, 'The Emergency Throwline Boards installed by Canal and River Trust are designed to give members of the public crucial opportunity to carry out swift water rescues themselves by giving permanent access to lifesaving water rescue equipment.'

Not enough people can access the life-saving rescue equipment

Katrina wants changes to the accessibility of lifesaving throwlines, as only the fire service currently has the codes to unlock the padlock.

She told us that all call handlers, including the ambulance service and police should also be able to hand them out.

Katrina told us: "I believe they all should have access to it, if one part of the system fails, then there's other back up."

"If that throwline had of hit the water, he Marcus may have made one final push and resurfaced."

A mother's investigation into her son's death

For the last five months, Katrina has been looking into what happened the night Marcus fell into the water.

She's received documents including part of the transcript between the passer-by and the ambulance call handler.

She told us: "The call handler did ask about 4 minutes 52 seconds into the call, 'do you have anything available to break it?'

"I mean how many people walk around with something that's able to break a lock on a night out?"

The death of her son has truly impacted her family, Katrina hasn't been able to return to her home in Leeds:

"I can't face going to the house, with obviously his car, his computer, his belongs everything, he may have been 29, but he was still my baby boy, everything he owns is in that house and the thought of going there, and him not being there, I just can't."

Paying tribute to Marcus she told us: "He was never serious, he was just full of banter, he loved gaming, he loved his car and music.

"He was very close to his younger brother who has autism, the banter they had was unreal. He was just a nice lad."

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it's only the fire service that has access to the pin numbers, and it's hoped the inquest into Marcus' death will look into whether that needs to change in future.

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