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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of people who have died.
Noongar woman Winnie Hayward is still coming to terms with the police chase that ended with her son and his best friend drowning in Perth’s Swan River in September 2018.
Her son Christopher Drage, 16, and Trisjack Simpson, 17, were among a group of five boys reported to police after they were spotted jumping neighbourhood fences in Maylands, a suburb to the east of Perth.
Two patrol officers, constables Lindsay Jeffree and Ella Cutler from the Western Australia Police Force, suspected the boys had broken into nearby houses and chased them on foot. A witness described the boys as appearing “frightened” and “distressed” as the police pursued them.
Swan River drownings inquest hears from friend who saw teenage boys go under
TueTuesday 16
updated
TueTuesday 16
MarMarch 2021 at 10:13pm
The bodies of two boys were recovered from the Swan River after they drowned in September 2018.
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One of the Indigenous teenagers who went into the Swan River while running from police in 2018 has told an inquest into the drowning deaths of two of his friends how he saw them go under.
Key points:
The inquest is examining the deaths and what role, if any, police played
One officer says she does not recall one boy asking her to help his friends