"Tombstoning" teenager named

Updated 18.34 Mon Oct 01 2007

Keywords: Somerset, Sam Boyd, teenager, tombstoning

Police have named the 16-year-old boy whose body was found after he was last seen jumping from a harbour wall in Somerset.

Sam Boyd is believed to have been "tombstoning" at Minehead Harbour on Thursday night. His body was found in the early hours of this morning when the tide ebbed, Swansea Coastguard said.

The boy's body was found in the early hours of this morning when the tide ebbed, Swansea Coastguard said

A Coastguard spokesman said: "We believe they were 'tombstoning', which is something that children don't tend to see danger in, unfortunately.

"We know he jumped into the harbour off the harbour wall and that he swam for a short distance, then all of a sudden was crying for help and then apparently sank like a sack of potatoes.

"We pulled the young lad out of the water when the tide ebbed. It was a beautiful evening. Lots of members of the public were walking along the front and we took three or four 999 calls within a period of 30 seconds."

The spokesman said local coastguards spoke to some of the boy's friends, who confirmed he had been jumping off the harbour wall.