Mum's tribute to 'larger than life' son, 13, who died after entering river
A heartbroken mum has paid tribute to her "larger than life" son who died after entering a river.
Kieran Wharton, 13, was pulled from the River Soar in Leicestershire on May 13.
He was rescued from the water following a huge search operation, but was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.
Three other teenage boys were found safe and received medical attention.
Kieran's mum, Kaleigh Wharton, is now trying to raise awareness of how dangerous the water can be, and is planning to have more lifebuoys added to the riverbank where he was found.
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She said her son was a "larger than life character" with a "wicked sense of humour".
A police cordon near the River Soar in Leicestershire (Leicestershire Live WS)Ms Wharton told the BBC: "We definitely want to do whatever we can to raise awareness of the dangers of rivers.
"This one has a lock either side, which makes it that bit more treacherous with the undercurrents.
"So I would just urge parents, schools, anybody really to just educate children of those dangers."
She has launched a GoFundMe in Kieran's memory, raising over £4,200 at the time of writing.
It says: "Kieran was a larger-than-life character that loved everybody and he had the most wicked sense of humour.
"We as a family miss him so much and want to do the best we can for Kieran in his memory."
Kieran was pulled from the water following a huge search operation (Leicestershire Live / BPM Media)Police have not yet confirmed the circumstances surrounding Kieran and his three friends entering the river.
Previously, a witness claimed that one of the teenagers had tried to save his friend who was unable to swim.
Sarah, who was in a nearby pub at the time, told the Mirror: "We just saw people crying and loads of emergency services turned up. I saw a couple of lads running around wet and a very distressed boy with the paramedics.
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"He apparently tried to save his friend who couldn’t swim. They were messing around prior to pushing each other and jumping off the bridge.
"The pub was asked to turn the music off and then everyone was asked to leave."
Police were called to reports of four teenagers entering the water (Leicestershire Live WS)Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service was first alerted at 9.09pm and sent a specialist water rescue team to the scene.
Police officers joined shortly afterwards.
In a statement at the time, a force spokesperson said: "At 9.15pm yesterday (Saturday 13 May) officers were called to the area of Bridge Street in Barrow-upon-Soar by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.
"It was reported that four teenage boys had entered the water. Following a search of the water, one boy was rescued but was pronounced dead a short time later.
"The other three were found safe and received medical attention."
You can donate to the fundraiser for Kieran's family here.
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