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| Couple found dead in hotel swimming pool had 'started a relationship' | Couple found dead in hotel swimming pool had 'started a relationship' |
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| A couple found dead in the swimming pool of a country house hotel had recently started a relationship and were enjoying a surprise birthday celebration, it has emerged. | A couple found dead in the swimming pool of a country house hotel had recently started a relationship and were enjoying a surprise birthday celebration, it has emerged. |
| They were named as Komba Kpakiwa, 31, a married shop manager, from Erith, south-east London, and Josephine Foday, a student nurse. Both were originally from Sierra Leone and settled in Britain more than 10 years ago. | They were named as Komba Kpakiwa, 31, a married shop manager, from Erith, south-east London, and Josephine Foday, a student nurse. Both were originally from Sierra Leone and settled in Britain more than 10 years ago. |
| They had started a relationship in February and the trip to the four star £70-a-night Down Hall Country House hotel in Hatfield Heath was a surprise for Foday's 22nd birthday a day earlier, her grandmother said. | They had started a relationship in February and the trip to the four star £70-a-night Down Hall Country House hotel in Hatfield Heath was a surprise for Foday's 22nd birthday a day earlier, her grandmother said. |
| The pair had been seen wearing swimming costumes 15 minutes before they were discovered floating face down at 7.35pm last Saturday, an inquest in Chelmsford, Essex, heard. | The pair had been seen wearing swimming costumes 15 minutes before they were discovered floating face down at 7.35pm last Saturday, an inquest in Chelmsford, Essex, heard. |
| One witness reportedly said he thought they were fooling around when he saw them lying face down in the water and only raised the alarm when he saw them sinking. | One witness reportedly said he thought they were fooling around when he saw them lying face down in the water and only raised the alarm when he saw them sinking. |
| Foday, a second-year nursing student at Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent, had lived with her grandmother Theresa Farma in Plumstead, south-east London, after she was orphaned during Sierra Leone's civil war and fled to the UK in 2001. Farma said her granddaughter was "a lovely girl, happy and smiley". | Foday, a second-year nursing student at Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent, had lived with her grandmother Theresa Farma in Plumstead, south-east London, after she was orphaned during Sierra Leone's civil war and fled to the UK in 2001. Farma said her granddaughter was "a lovely girl, happy and smiley". |
| She added: "I am so sad, now my granddaughter has been taken away too,. She was very quiet, she went to church and did not drink alcohol or smoke. She wanted to be a nurse. To help people." | She added: "I am so sad, now my granddaughter has been taken away too,. She was very quiet, she went to church and did not drink alcohol or smoke. She wanted to be a nurse. To help people." |
| Farma said she had recently been introduced to Kpakiwa and described him as "very nice". A colleague said he was studying law as well as working for the Co-op. | Farma said she had recently been introduced to Kpakiwa and described him as "very nice". A colleague said he was studying law as well as working for the Co-op. |
| Abdul Conteh, a family friend, said a witness had reported seeing the couple floating next to each other. "He saw the couple in the pool, he went to the sauna and eight minutes later he came out and saw Komba's face in the pool and Josephine was lying on [her] back going down [in] the water," Conteh said. "He thought they were mucking around, a couple's thing, he didn't take any notice of them. But then he came back again and he saw the two of them going down [in] the water and saw the man's face was underneath the water, so he raised the alarm." | Abdul Conteh, a family friend, said a witness had reported seeing the couple floating next to each other. "He saw the couple in the pool, he went to the sauna and eight minutes later he came out and saw Komba's face in the pool and Josephine was lying on [her] back going down [in] the water," Conteh said. "He thought they were mucking around, a couple's thing, he didn't take any notice of them. But then he came back again and he saw the two of them going down [in] the water and saw the man's face was underneath the water, so he raised the alarm." |
| Essex police said a provisional postmortem found the deaths were consistent with drowning. Further tests, including routine toxicology, are being carried out. | Essex police said a provisional postmortem found the deaths were consistent with drowning. Further tests, including routine toxicology, are being carried out. |
| "Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to their deaths but are treating them as non-suspicious," a police spokesman said. Police said they are focusing on the relationship between the victims as part of their investigation. | "Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to their deaths but are treating them as non-suspicious," a police spokesman said. Police said they are focusing on the relationship between the victims as part of their investigation. |
| Kpakiwa had been married to Gurpreet Kpakiwa since their wedding in September 2004 in Bexley, south-east London, according to public records. Saz Aziz, a supervisor at the Co-op where Kpakiwa had worked for 10 years, said he believed he had a seven-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. | Kpakiwa had been married to Gurpreet Kpakiwa since their wedding in September 2004 in Bexley, south-east London, according to public records. Saz Aziz, a supervisor at the Co-op where Kpakiwa had worked for 10 years, said he believed he had a seven-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. |
| Chris Falcus, the hotel manager, reiterated the staff's condolences and said the provisional post-mortem result indicating drowning "puts an end to inappropriate speculation about our facilities". | Chris Falcus, the hotel manager, reiterated the staff's condolences and said the provisional post-mortem result indicating drowning "puts an end to inappropriate speculation about our facilities". |
| Debra Teasdale, dean of the health and social care faculty at Canterbury Christ Church University, said: "We were very saddened to hear about Josephine's tragic death at the weekend and our thoughts and sympathies are with Josephine's family and friends at this sad time." | Debra Teasdale, dean of the health and social care faculty at Canterbury Christ Church University, said: "We were very saddened to hear about Josephine's tragic death at the weekend and our thoughts and sympathies are with Josephine's family and friends at this sad time." |
| Deputy Coroner Eleanor McGann said analysis from both postmortems was pending. The inquest was adjourned. | Deputy Coroner Eleanor McGann said analysis from both postmortems was pending. The inquest was adjourned. |
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