NTI_LIFEGUARD_LET_OFF_06

Lifeguard Kelly Woods from Tettenhall Wood who was on trial after 8 year old Suraj Mall died at the swimming pool where she was working as a lifeguard. See NTI story NTIDROWN. A female lifeguard who believed an eight-year-old boy floating face-down in front of her was “messing about” has been cleared of allowing his death. Kelly Woods, 31, was charged with failing to protect pool users after Suraj Mall died at the leisure centre on February 10, 2008. A two week trial heard Woods had been chatting to a customer for 15 minutes at Wolverhampton Swimming and Fitness Centre when the youngster got into difficulty. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Suraj had been floating face-down in the water for a minute-and-a-half but Woods believed he was “messing about”. By the time she realised he was in trouble and dived in to save him, it was too late and he was later pronounced dead at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.