A 15-year-old schoolgirl who tragically died after spending time with friends at a river drowned, an inquest has heard. Abbie Walton, also known as Habiba Sharafeldin, died on June 14 after being pulled from a river in Tameside.
The tragedy happened at the River Etherow near Hodge Lane, in Broadbottom. Abbie, who lived in the Hattersley area of Hyde, attended Copley Academy, with tributes pouring in for her after her death.
An inquest was opened at South Manchester Coroners' Court on Wednesday morning (July 5). A cause of death following a post-mortem was given as 'drowning' by coroner Alison Mutch with a full inquest set to be heard in December this year.
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Police Coroners Officer, Simon Toft, told the court that Abbie was born in Egypt and confirmed that on the night she died she had been with friends at the river.
Following her death her sisters and brother paid a heartbreaking tribute to her. Abbie’s eldest sister Kylie said: "Abbie was always smiling and rarely upset. She’d get so excited to see us and come bouncing through the door to give me and my sons a massive cuddle.
"She was very close with our family, especially our mum. Abbie was such a bubbly and polite girl. Truly beautiful inside and out. She was always dancing and making videos for TikTok."
Abbie’s older sisters Claire and Nicola jointly recalled: "Abbie would race around in flip flops to see us and say ‘hay girl’ that was her favourite catchphrase. She lit up the room when she walked in and whenever a room went quiet, she would let out a random noise and make everyone laugh.
"Abbie was loud, sassy, and always dancing. She loved TikTok and to look her best with fake tan and butterfly lashes."
Abbie’s older brother Daniel said: "Abbie was so lively; she was definitely the ‘personality’ in the family. We used to wind each other up all the time. She was a funny person and didn’t care what anyone thought about her. She was close with our family and popular in school. Abbie was looking forward to prom more than anything. That’s all she would talk about."
The scene near the river was laid with flowers after Abbie's death with a GoFundMe page set up to help cover funeral costs.
Ms Mutch scheduled a full inquest hearing to take place on December 4 this year. She said: "This is a tragic incident of a young 15-year-old girl drowning. She had been with friends at the river that day. I send my deepest sympathies to the family at this very difficult time. It is clear an inquest is required into the circumstances of this death."
