Beckenham Park lake search called off as body found in hunt for missing boy, 15

A body has been found in the search for a 15-year-old boy. The vanished in broad daylight yesterday while swimming in a lake at Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham, at around 3pm.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the boy got into trouble in the water. The has now confirmed the search has been called off as, tragically, a body has been found. The force originally said the boy was 16, but has since confirmed his age as 15. A Met Police spokesperson said: "Met Police has suspended a search for a 15-year-old boy at Beckenham Place Park, following the discovery of a body.

“Officers were called to the park shortly after 15:00hrs on Friday, 4 April following reports of a boy going missing after getting into difficulty in the water.

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“Specialist diving teams were in attendance alongside the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade. A boy was recovered from the lake at around 22:42hrs on Friday, 4 April."

The boy’s family have been made aware and are being supported, the force said. Officers removed police tape around the lake on Saturday morning and have left the scene.

Beckenham Place Park spans 98 hectares and contains large areas of woodland as well as lakes. There is a purpose-built swimming lake with depths of up to 3.5 metres.

This comes after the heartbroken mother of a boy who was found four years ago in woodland in Epping Forest .

An inquest found 19-year-old Richard Okorogheye’s cause of death was “consistent with drowning”, and the Met was forced to apologise after the police watchdog found officers provided “an unacceptable level of service” after he went missing.

Richard had sickle cell anaemia, but left his happy, settled home in Ladbroke Grove, West London on the evening of March 22, 2021, without medication. The hard-working student was reported missing by his worried mum the next day, but police did not officially record him as a missing person until March 24.

It was later discovered that Richard had left the flat at 8.30pm, got on a 23 southbound bus at 8.44pm, before getting off and buying a bottle of rum, wine and cigarettes from a shop at 10pm. He then took a taxi to Epping Forest, where he was seen on CCTV at 12.39am on March 23 walking alone towards the woods in Loughton, Essex.

His movements were completely out of character and have never been explained. His mother, Evidence Joel, 43, has now said: “I am sure Richard was being directed to that spot in Epping Forest. My son hated the dark, even in his bedroom he liked to keep the light on.”