Doctor slams onlookers for filming TikToks while children were treated
A doctor has described how onlookers “voyeuristically” filmed and shouted as lifeguards performed CPR on two children who died after being pulled from the sea off Bournemouth beach.
A 17-year-old boy from Southampton and a 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire died after getting into difficulty in the water at the Dorset resort on Wednesday afternoon.
A further eight people were treated by paramedics following the incident. Police have arrested a man in his forties, who was “on the water” at the time, on suspicion of manslaughter.
Dr Rob Rosa, a former GP and now one of Britain’s Chief Medical Officers, rushed from the promenade to help after the children had been brought ashore.
As lifeguards attempted to revive them, he told MailOnline, a minority of observers joked and filmed with mobile phones.
He said: “Those videoing the desperate CPR attempts should think long and hard at their actions, the tragic death of a child is not something anyone should voyeuristically observe.
“I have been a doctor for 18 years, including in A&E where I have been battle hardened, but I have never seen anything as bad as this in my career,” he added. “It was utterly exceptional and harrowing. They were carrying out CPR on two children while searching the water for others.
“There were police, paramedics, doctors, the RNLI. They did everything they could for those children. It’s a terrible tragedy. The lifeguards were teenagers themselves and did an incredible job to try to save those children.”
In a video uploaded to TikTok, medics are seen running across the beach towards a yellow barrier that has been erected around the two children as they receive treatment.
A voice is heard commentating: “Oh s**t. You run boy. Run, Forrest Run!” After the camera pans to a medic unpacking their bag, they add: “Oh s**t. You get that girl. You unpack it.” They later say: “Hurry up. He’s dying mate.”
Police released a public statement on Thursday afternoon to counter rumours circulating on social media that the youngsters had jumped from the pier or been hit by a jet-ski.
Speaking at a press conference, Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell, from Dorset Police, said: “As we have a person in custody, you will know there is only limited information I can give about the investigation.
“However, to avoid further speculation, I am able to tell you that it’s clear that yesterday a number of people already in the water got into difficulty and we are investigating the circumstances or event that caused that to happen.
“Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any of the swimmers at the time of the incident.
“I can also confirm there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet-skis being involved.”
She said the two who died were not related to each other and those involved were “different people from different families” who were assisted by “great-spirited members of the public”.
She added: “We are all truly devastated that two young people have lost their lives.
“My thoughts and those of all the emergency services are very much with their loved-ones at this horrendous time and we are doing all we can to support their families.”
Ms Farrell added: “As you can imagine, we are at the early stages of our investigation, and we would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident to both protect our inquiries and out of respect for the victims and their families.
“We are aware of a number of videos circulating on social media and we would urge people to refrain from doing this.
“We know the beach was very busy when the incident occurred. I am today urging anyone who saw what happened or has any information that may assist to please come forward.
“If anyone has relevant phone footage then they can contact Dorset Police through our major incident public portal where they can upload the images and we will share the links on social media.
“This operation is named Operation Marble. So please share the images with the police rather than on social media.”
The efforts to counter speculation come after the high-profile investigation into the disappearance of Nicola Bulley earlier this year, which became the subject of a social media storm.
Locals described how amateur sleuths descended on the Lancashire town of St Michael’s on Wyre in February, uploading videos of their investigative efforts to social media.
Police were granted extra powers to remove members of the public from the vicinity of the crime scene after people were seen filming near the cordon and nearby properties.
In a press conference, lead investigator Superintendent Sally Riley, from Lancashire Police, asked the public “not to take the law into their own hands” or “do anything that would thwart” the investigation.
A man was subsequently arrested over footage shot from inside a police cordon on the day the body of Ms Bulley was found in the River Wyre.
Ms Bulley’s friends and family described how supposed efforts to help find her, were actually “doing the complete opposite.”
Heather Gibbons, a friend of Ms Bulley, said: “We are at the point where people coming to ‘help’ look for Nikki in this way is actually doing the complete opposite.
“You’re taking police time and resources away from the investigation. You’re letting speculation take away from the actual facts.”
TikTok moved to ban one user for “multiple violations” of its policies believed to be in respect of his coverage of Ms Bulley’s disappearance.
Videos of Dan Duffy , who uploaded under “exploring_with_danny”, searching the riverside and nearby buildings by nightfall gained as many as 1.2 million views on the platform.
