11-year-old Kyra Hill 'unlawfully killed' at Berkshire water park
The county's senior coroner has given her verdict at an inquest into her death
Last updated 21st May 2025
Berkshire's senior coroner Heidi Connor has concluded that 11-year-old Kyra Hill who drowned during a birthday party at a waterpark near Windsor, in August 2022 was unlawfully killed.
Earlier her father told the inquest that Kyra was a “beautiful, beaming beacon of light”.
Kyra Hill got into difficulty in a designated swimming area at Liquid Leisure near Windsor, Berkshire, on August 6 2022.
Senior coroner Heidi Connor concluded that Kyra had been unlawfully killed following gross health and safety breaches at the park.
The breaches relate to the depth and visibility of the water and the absence of an emergency plan and risk assessment, she found.
There were no signs warning of deep water despite it reaching 4.67 metres in parts of the designated swimming area, Ms Conner said.
“In fact the only sign present warned of shallow water”, she added.
Parents and carers were not advised to attend with children in a ratio of one to four, and young children were permitted to swim without buoyancy aids, Ms Connor said.
There was also no emergency plan or risk assessment that took those factors into account, and no control measures were identified and put in place to “take account of these clear risks”, she said.
Stuart Marston is the owner and director of the park, and was involved in the search for Kyra.
He described himself as a “hands-on manager” during the inquest.
The coroner said: “It is of course likely that Mr Marston knew about the depth of the water and visibility issues.
“In my view, any control measures or absence of control measures, were a function of the company as a whole, rather than Mr Marston personally.
“I do not consider it is correct to suggest that an individual duty of care was owed by Mr Marston.
“Even if that duty of care was owed, it is much more difficult to conclude that there were individual breaches of duty by Mr Marston himself – rather than the company as a whole – which contributed to Kyra’s death.”
She noted that Mr Marston remains “largely unable to say what policies were, or are, in place” despite previous criminal proceedings, knowing the inquest was to happen, and having experienced legal advisers.
“I was left with the impression that Mr Marston thought of some health and safety practices, and the involvement of the local authority in this area, mostly as a hindrance to him being able to run his business”, she said.
Giving her conclusions, she added: “Members of the family, at no point have I forgotten that this was about your 11-year-old Kyra, and I am so very sorry that you are here today.
“It must have been incredibly difficult to sit in court and hear some of the evidence that we’ve heard. I offer all of you my heartfelt condolences.”
Harvinder Kaur, director at Fieldfisher – the law firm that represented the Hill family, said: “We are grateful to the coroner for exposing the failings that occurred in the lead up to Kyra’s death.
“We hope now that there will be positive change in the industry to prevent future deaths.”
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said in a statement: “Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of Kyra Hill following her tragic death at Liquid Leisure near Datchet on 6 August 2022.
“We note the ruling from the coroner following the inquest into Kyra’s death and we will be liaising with the coroner’s office.
“We conducted a thorough investigation into Kyra’s death at the time, before handing a file to the coroner and the local authority.”
Her father, Leonard Hill, fought back tears as he read a pen portrait of his daughter to Berkshire Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.
“Kyra was a beautiful, beaming beacon of light in the lives of all who were fortunate enough to know her”, he said.
He added: “With her naturally enchanting, bright, and beautiful eyes – paired with the softest, sweetest and warmest smile – she captivated hearts effortlessly.
“A spirited individual, Kyra was resolute in her beliefs. She would stand up for what was right without hesitation, always the first to challenge a bully or defend a friend.
“Guided by an unwavering moral compass, she was a protector at heart, fiercely caring for her loved ones and always considering the feelings of others.”
His Manchester United-supporting daughter dreamed of becoming a professional footballer.
“Had that dream not become her reality, she had her back-up plan to pursue law and become a lawyer and fight for the truth, stating that she would ‘never defend evil people in court’,” he said.
At around 3.20pm, a 17-year-old lifeguard spotted Kyra struggling and dived in after her before leaving the water to radio her colleagues.
A manager attended rapidly but 37 minutes passed before 999 was called, senior coroner Heidi Connor previously said.
Around 13 minutes before emergency services were contacted the park owner attempted to phone a divemaster and off-duty firefighter, the inquest had heard.
The diver, Chris Knight, missed several calls and CCTV showed him first entering the water with an oxygen tank at 4.33pm.
Mr Knight previously told the inquest that he searched two parts of the lake before he was told that CCTV showed her going under at another location.
He found Kyra near the third area at around 5.09pm.
He said that as far as he was aware no-one had looked at the CCTV by the time he arrived at the park.