"What was the point of dialing 999?" Christopher Kapessa's mother, outraged over son's death, claims the family faced racism after moving to Wales

Christopher Kapessa, a 13-year-old boy, lost his life as a result of a dangerous prank gone wrong. Assistant Coroner David Regan discovered on January 22, 2024, that the teen was allegedly deliberately pushed into the river as a "prank," as per BBC.

The mother of the boy, Alina, claimed that her son was a victim of racism. She said outside the South Wales court on Monday, "Why is justice different for a black person than it is for a white person?"

According to The Guardian, she believes that the South Wales police did not initially take the situation seriously. They quickly thought it was just a tragic accident. Even though the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) found enough evidence to charge Pugh, they decided not to because they thought it wouldn't be fair due to his age and good character. She said,

"First of all, the police came to my house and said there was nothing sinister in Christopher's death. It was a tragic accident. There were failures in the way they handled it."

The publication reported that Christopher went out with his friends over the River Cynon and died after being allegedly pushed by Jayden Pugh in the river on July 1, 2019, in Rhondda Cynon Taf. According to The Guardian, his mother, Alina Joseph, outside the Wales court on January 22, 2024, said,

"This January, he would have turned 18 like a grown-up guy and must have enjoyed life. It was just his start."

The young boy, Christopher, had a summer break in 2019 when he went on a river with 15 other children, including Jayden Pugh. However, the kid Jayden, now 19, stated in South Wales Central Coroner's Court in Pontypridd that "Christopher Kapessa accidentally fell into the river."

---

Mother's outrage over Christopher Kapessa's death and allegations of racism in Wales: What happened to Christopher Kapessa?

In a statement read out during the inquest in the court, two weeks before the coroner's conclusion, Alina Joseph stated in 2011 that the family moved to Wales due to domestic violence. However, after moving to Wales, she claims they suffered "horrific" racially biased treatment. She said, "At times, we felt isolated."

Continuing the statement, she said their house caught fire on May 19, 2018, and they moved to Mountain Ash. She added they received hate letters and racist messages. According to The Guardian, Alina said her children were subjected to verbal and physical attacks. Once, Christopher ended up in hospital due to attacks. She said she stopped reporting incidents to police because there was no point. She said,

"There was no point in calling South Wales police. We didn't feel protected. What was the point of dialing 999?"

Christopher's mother said he returned from school and rushed out to play. However, what went wrong on the river, as reported by the coroner, Pugh allegedly pushed him into the river with a sense of fun as a "prank."

"His body was pulled out the river at about 7:25 pm, about two hours after he went into the water."

However, Christopher's mother, Ms. Alina, believed that the older boy unlawfully killed her son as a result of racism. She also said that my son was not a confident swimmer.

Speaking outside the court, she thinks the South Wales police initially did not take the case seriously and rushed to a conclusion as a "tragic accident" because they were not white. She said,

"But then the CPS found enough evidence to prosecute over Christopher's death. Christopher was the only black child among 16 or so children who were there. It's totally wrong. I know for a fact if it was the other way round if the tables were turned if all those children were black and Christopher was a white child, I wouldn't be sat here talking to you."

Speaking out the court on Monday, Alina Joseph said,

"I attended a birthday party of one of Christopher's friends and saw how tall he'd grown. He'd become a man. It was really sad and very painful."

She further added,

"I cherish the memories of my son, who was an incredible young boy. Christopher will always be remembered for bringing immense joy and happiness to me and to everyone he met."

Christopher Kapessa, described as "loving" and "fun" by his family and friends, was born in North London but later shifted to South Wales.

Jayden Pugh, then 14, now 19, has been allegedly accused of pushing him into the river. However, he denied it in court and said Christopher accidentally "fell" into the river. As per BBC, Pugh, Millie Morgan, and other friends jumped into the river to save him.

On Monday, January 22, 2024, the assistant coroner David Regan concluded and presented in South Wales court that "he deliberately died after being pushed in the river for fun as a prank." Christopher Kapessa was a shining star who can make anyone happy, says Millie Morgan, his friend. Morgan added that he was kind and loving and will always be remembered.