Cops stood by as boy drowned

TWO Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) "just stood there" while a ten-year-old-boy drowned trying to save his step-sister, an inquest heard.

Jordon Lyon came to the aid of his step-sister Bethany ,8, when they were playing in a pond, in an old mining shaft in Wigan with a shallow edge and sudden deep drop.

They had been playing there collecting tadpoles on a hot afternoon last May when their scholl was closed to be used as a polling station.

The Bolton inquest heard two fishermen waded into the water and helped pull Bethany to safety, but could not reach Jordon.

One of them, John Collinson, 63, said he saw Jordon and Bethany struggling to get out of the water and an his friend, Bert Wright, 66 ran to help.

He said Jordon was holding up his sister with his own head bobbing under water.

Both men waded and Mr Wright managed to grab Bethany and pull her to safety but Jordon, who was a strong swimmer, disappeared beneath the surface.

The police were called and two PCSOs arrived on bikes, but Mr Collinson said they "just stood there."