Toddler Kiara Moore had been singing and playing in her mother's Mini before it fatally rolled into the River Teifi in Cardigan, an inquest heard today.

The little girl, who was just eight days short of her third birthday, had only been left for a few minutes while her mum went to get a £10 note from the family's office by the river.

When her mum Kim Rowlands returned to the car it had disappeared leading to a major police search in west Wales which was only concluded when the silver Mini was found in the river close to the family's outdoor business.

It had rolled down a slipway next to the office into the river.

The little girl was airlifted to hospital after being found that same day on Monday, March 19.

An inquest in Aberystwyth on Tuesday heard from Kiara's father Jet Moore and has heard a statement from her mother.

In her mother's statement, she said: “When I left there was singing and shouting. I knelt down by the safe in the office.

“I got a £10 note out and shut the door.

“I went out of the office and put the padlock on. I could see that my car was gone."

Coroner Peter Brunton recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

This is where the vehicle is thought to have entered the water:

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Police subsequently confirmed no charges will be brought against anyone in relation to what they have described as a “tragic incident”.

The tot, whose full name was Kiara Aurora Maddison Moore, was from the tiny village of Coed-y-bryn, near Llandysul, in Ceredigion.

Recap the hearing in full:

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'One of life's very, very special people'

The family of Kiara Moore have issued this poignant tribute to the youngster in the aftermath of today’s hearing:

Kiara was an amazing little girl who lived a life full of love and adventure with her close and extended family.

She left us all with a huge gap in our lives this year. Since she has been gone not a day has passed where we have not spoken about her life with us, her brother, sisters and wider family.

We had so many adventures with her in her short life, from her joining us as a complete surprise to climbing Snowdon at 12 days old (which we also did this year to scatter her ashes and will do so every year going forward as a way to promote her happy life).

We have set up a trust to raise awareness of how the outdoors can help people with mental health and bereavement and to support families like us who have gone through very bad times.

In a short life she saw more than most people do in their long lives including the main peaks of her homeland, paddles from coast to coast on the Great Glen, down most of the River Wye and three skiing trips to France and Bulgaria. She visited Paris and her favourite thing was the Eiffel Tower over her trip to Disney.

She was one of life’s very, very special people who has left a notable mark in such a small time here.

Thank you to all the teams of people who have helped us through this so far - the amazing police officers, Wales Air Ambulance, RNLI, the team in the hospital who tried so hard, 2 Wish Upon A Star and many more.

We all love you forever ‘Rar Rar’ - mummy, daddy, brothers, sisters, nanny and grandad, bampy and nanny, uncles, our many friends, and yours.


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Coroner concludes death a result of misadventure

Mr Brunton says there are only two possibilities.

“In light of the evidence I distinguish one of misadventure,” he says. “A perfectly lawful set of circumstances has taken place which has led to death.”

Mr Brunton says to Kiara’s family that they have his deepest sympathies and thanks them for coming to the inquest.

The coroner has now formally closed the inquest.

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'Drowning would have occurred within 30 seconds of the car going onto the water,' says coroner

Mr Brunton is now summing up.

He says it is clear the car arrives at scene at 9.09am and that mum and child get out and head into the office.

He says 3.26pm is the point where the Mini starts to roll.

Two minutes before that Kim Rowlands goes into the office to get money as her card had snapped. She was able to get out of the car, into the safe, and back towards the car in a “surprisingly quick time”.

He says: “Kiara was in the car. It takes a few seconds, between eight and 10, to roll into the river. It filled up fairly quickly as when people came to look the car was completely submerged.

“As the car was recovered I find that the handbrake was down and that the gear was in position of gear three.

“Miss Rowlands said she left it in reverse. When the car was recovered that was not the case.

“The vehicle has been tested and was in good condition with no handbrake defects.

“There is going to be no satisfactory outcome.”

Sgt Davies suggested the theory that Miss Rowlands had made some preparatory moves in the car before her bank card snapped. She then got out of the car without possibly resetting the handbrake. That is one theory, the coroner says.

“It has been suggested that in some way Kiara moving around in the car may have affected the handbrake. Mr Moore says it is improbable that she would have been playing with it.

“There is no hard finding that I can make as to the position of the handbrake.

“But, on the balance of probabilities, for that car to roll down into the river, even in third gear, with no handbrake the only inference I can say is that the handbrake was not set for whatever reason.

“Drowning would have occurred within 30 seconds of the car going into the water. Her body was not recovered for some two hours. Resuscitation was not viable.”

Her death was recorded at 7.50pm but would have occurred at 3.30pm, the coroner says.

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Kiara's dad asks if she could have knocked the handbrake

Sgt Davies continues: “We’ve spoken to an engineer from Mini who said you could have several vehicles and they could all react differently.”

Mr Moore has asked if he can ask a question during the inquest but the coroner says Sgt Davies needs to finish answering first.

Sgt Davies says: “I can’t say with any degree of certainty how it went from the handbrake being on at the slipway to not being on in the water.”

Mr Moore asks Sgt Davies if Kiara could have knocked the handbrake as she made her way into the back of the car whilst playing.

Sgt Davies says the handbrake would not disengage if someone stood on the top of the handbrake but “you could release the handbrake by pressing the button at the front of it”.

He refuses to rule out the possibility that Kiara could have knocked it, saying: “I don’t know is the honest answer”.

That is the end of Sgt Davies’ evidence.

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Vehicle was 'parked correctly originally', investigator says

Sergeant Shane Davies, senior forensic officer at Dyfed-Powys Police, is now giving evidence.

The initial report said death was at 3.30pm, he says, but this was when the police report first came in and was not the time of death.

“I attended at the scene and remained until the recovery of the vehicle out of the Teifi.

“Clearly, on recovery, the vehicle gear was in third and the handbrake was completely disengaged or horizontal.

“We’ve done extensive testing on vehicles of a similar age and build.

“I don’t believe that vehicle has entered the water in any other gear other than third.

“We found no evidence that the gear had been interfered with in any way.

On Miss Rowlands’ statement saying she left the vehicle in reverse Sgt Davies says she must have been mistaken as it was in third.

Sgt Davies says tests carried out show that cars left in reverse hold vehicles in position, even on a slope, and that in third it doesn’t.

When asked by Mr Brunton, Sgt Davies says it is difficult to say if the car was put in third gear prior to moving and the handbrake being released. The coroner asks if this was the picture that was emerging.

Contact with the handbrake could have been released with little pressure if only on one or two clicks, Sgt Davies tells the coroner.

“On the first click the car doesn’t hold on the slope. On all other clicks it does - two, three, four and five. Davies confirms the car will hold on its own even if not in gear.”

The coroner asks about the handbrake setting.

“There are some questions that can’t be answered without reasonable doubt,” the witness says.

“I’ve seen the CCTV. The vehicle doesn’t move anywhere for that time.

“Some interaction has happened to destabilise it, which has allowed the movement backwards.

“I’ve done a lot of research into this and I’ve been trying to find all the answers for the family.

“There was a poll conducted by Which and 70% of respondents would leave car in a forward gear - others say reverse is better. There’s a lot of opinion out there.

“But I believe that the vehicle was parked correctly originally.

“In that brief moment of time something has changed and the vehicle has entered the water. It was recovered from the water with the vehicle in third gear and the parking brake disengaged.”

He adds: “The keys were found in the ignition of the car.”

The coroner puts it to Sgt Davies that car was found in the river as it was on the slipway - in third gear and with no handbrake. Sgt Davies doesn’t disagree.

Sgt Davies says that Kiara made her way into the back of the car and it “may well be” that the transfer in weight was enough for the car to roll backwards.

“That may explain why the car stayed there for a short period of time with Kiara in the front of the car. ”

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'Handbrake not applied' when found, forensic investigator confirms

The inquest is now hearing evidence in person from forensic investigator Aled Thomas who examined the car.

“The vehicle was in good condition with no defects to note.”

The vehicle had been flooded. It was found in third gear.

“On the examination the handbrake was found in the unset position and not applied. Further tests were conducted on the lever. With the lever set on one click, which should provide some braking. On click two this would provide sufficient braking.”

The lever handbrake was found in an unset position, Mr Thomas confirms.

When asked by the coroner how the vehicle had stayed in position all day Mr Thomas says: “The only thing I can suggest is that the handbrake was applied for the duration of when it was parked outside.

“If there was no handbrake applied, even if the the car was in third gear, it would not have held for that time on that gradient.”

Mr Thomas says it would not have made a difference is the car was in reverse or third gear because the handbrake was not applied. It would have needed the handbrake as well as the gear.

“Two clicks on the handbrake would have been sufficient to hold the vehicle.”

Mr Thomas says lifting the handbrake is a “difficult manoeuvre”.

No wear was detected in the vehicle’s handbrake, he confirms. It would have had to be released by someone pressing the button and releasing the handbrake.

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Kiara's mother explains her terror as she realised car was missing

PC Garney is now reading a statement made by Kim Rowlands.

“Jet owns and managed Adventure Beyond in Cardigan. I work with the company and normally go there to work in the office.

“Since Kiara was a baby she has been coming with me to the office.

“On the day there was nothing unusual. I got up, called Kiara, and got her ready. She asked me what I was going to be doing. I said going to work and she asked if she could come with me.

“I’m not on any medication. I was feeling tired but not unusually so.

“I parked on the slipway. Monday was only the second day I’d been there that year.

“I checked the handbrake which I always do. I left it in reverse.

“I parked so that the back of the car was level with the scout hut.

“I didn’t go back to the car all day. During the day we stayed in the office.

“We did walk into Cardigan town centre to go to the bank.

“Sometime around 3pm I got ready to leave. I unlocked the car and walked round to the passenger side and loaded all Kiara’s things. I then put her in the car seat but didn’t fasten her seat.

“I closed her door and walked round to the driver’s door which I opened and as I did I realised my bank card had snapped. I took the card out and knew I didn’t have any food at home. I gave the card to Kiara and told her I would be two secs.

“The keys were either in the driver’s door or in the ignition. I told Kiara I would be two seconds.

“I opened the padlock and went into the office. I could hear Kiara in the car.

“When I left there was singing and shouting. I knelt down by the safe in the office.

“I got a £10 note out and shut the door.

“I went out of the office and put the padlock on. I could see that my car was gone.

“I was gone for about three minutes. I went down to the river and couldn’t see anything. My next thought was that the car had been taken. I asked people if they’d seen anything.

“I dialled 999 and told them my car had been taken with daughter inside.

“I looked everywhere. I phoned my mum as I was panicking.

“We bought the car second-hand and to my knowledge there were no handbrake issues.

“Kiara normally sits in the front passenger seat of the car. Her seat is for zero to four years. “She’s used to travelling in the car and she liked to play with the radio controls but I never saw her playing with any other controls.”

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Toddler's mum had to pop back inside after bank card snapped

Kiara’s father, Jet Moore, is now giving evidence in person to the hearing. He says the office for the activity centre the family ran was based on the sliproad. Mr Moore says he was working in Castlemartin that day and had left home between 6am and 6.30am. Kiara and her mother were going to spend the day at the office in Cardigan.

He says they had had the Mini car for “about three years” and it had been regularly serviced with no problems other than normal wear and tear.

He was not aware of any probs with handbrake.

“It was often parked on a steep hill and we didn’t have issues with it,” he says.

“[Kiara] was in the vehicle with us often and I’ve never known her to play with the handbrake. She wasn’t interested,” Mr Moore tells the coroner.

He says if the handbrake was on properly he doesn’t think Kiara could have had the strength to pull it down.
Miss Rowlands had difficulties with her bank card, he says.

Mr Moore says they needed to get fuel but the bank card snapped where the chip is. If that hadn’t happened she would have stayed in the car and gone to Tesco to get fuel.

Miss Rowlands had to unlock the padlock and get in through another door of the office to get to the safe to get money. She was in there for the time period confirmed by DC Garney.

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River was 2.2m deep at point car discovered

A statement is now being read on behalf of Stephen Mark Fry of South Wales Police.

He was tasked with colleagues to come to Cardigan on the day and arrived there at 9pm.

“On arrival I noticed a large number of vehicles from RNLI and coastguard. There was a substantial flow to the river.

“In the water I could work out the car was on its wheels at a depth of 2.2m.

“As I got close the flow of the river seemed to speed up and the car was very unstable.

“I saw what appeared to be a child’s car seat.

“I then began my assessment of the nearside and the flow of water was quite strong.

“I could not see clearly if the windows had been smashed. I then went to the offside of the vehicle and could feel the flow reduce slightly. The driver’s door was closed. I managed to open the door and shone my torch inside. I did not see anyone else inside the vehicle.

“I could clearly see a large bunch of keys and I noticed that the handbrake was in the down position. I then checked if the vehicle was in gear however it was difficult to tell.

“I then secured the door of the vehicle and went back to the surface.”

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Vehicle seen rolling backwards on CCTV

A statement is now being read on behalf of DC Hannah Garney of Dyfed-Powys Police. The statement was made on March 20.

She described checking CCTV footage showing the vehicle on the day of the tragedy.

She said at between 4.15pm and 4.20pm a person’s legs could be seen at the back of the vehicle.

“At 4.28pm bright-coloured trainers come into view from the vehicle and go out of view at 4.29pm.

“At 4.32pm the car started to roll backwards towards the slip. At 4.32pm the vehicle is out of view.

“A woman comes of of the building carrying items. She can be seen then talking on the phone.”

The woman who was seen coming out of the building was Kim Rowlands, Kiara’s mother, the inquest is told.

The car had been parked at 9.09am, the inquest is told, and had not moved all day. DC Gardener confirms the vehicle was left unattended for two minutes and two seconds.

She explained the timings on the CCTV were not exact, which is why the times do not tally with the accepted times of events during the day.

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Heroic PCSO dived headfirst into freezing river

A statement is now being read on behalf of PCSO Caryl Griffiths. The statement was made on March 28.

“On Monday, March 19, I was on call at Crymych police station. I started at 9am. I had just arrived at Cardigan police station when I heard that a car had been stolen with a three-year-old girl inside.

“I began searching for the car and was directed by inspector Gareth Jones to make CCTV inquiries in the area.

“I was walking to the right-hand side of the scout hut and I was notified that a car had been located in the river. I ran back towards the river and the ARV [armed response vehicle] drove past heading in the same direction.

“As I reached the bank I looked to the water. I could see a small bit of the car above the surface.

“I was stood next to PC Harvey and I said I was going to go into the water. I took off my vest and boots and dived headfirst into the river. The river was freezing cold and you could tell the current was really strong.

“I put my head underwater and I could not see anything underwater. The car was fully immersed in the water and was facing towards the main bridge in Cardigan.

“I swam towards the middle of the car and managed to climb onto the roof.

“I went under the water by the front passenger window. The water was so cold I couldn’t keep under for very long.

“I went down to the window and could not see inside the car.

“I was able to put both arms inside a small opening of the window. I could not see anything.

I tried the handle on the outside but could not.

“I felt something when I put my arms through the window. I came to the surface and said that someone needed to smash the window.

“Myself and [colleague] Nick managed to smash the glass after several hits and it broke. I immediately felt Kiara’s body. Both of us held her little body.

“I knew it was her because the coat she was wearing matched the description. I swam to the shoreline and Nick carried her out onto the river bank.

“Other officers started to conduct CPR but I can’t remember who that was.

“All I remember was looking at her body and her face was purple.

“I remember hearing the noise of a defib (defibrillator) and then I was taken back to the police station as I had blood on my hands. I hadn’t realised that I had cut myself.”

PCSO Griffiths said that had happened at around 6pm.

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'No suspicious circumstances'

Mr Brunton says: “There were no suspicious circumstances involved so a non-invasive post-mortem was carried out. Professor [Stephen] Leadbeatter at Cardiff University discovered that the cause of death was immersion of water.

“The professor also said: There is a note with advice from Birmingham in the specialist unit that 80 minutes’ downtime is not viable.” There were several hours which elapsed between when she was recovered from the river and when she was seen at Cardiff.

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Coroner opens the inquest

Ceredigion coroner Peter Brunton opens the inquest into the death of Kiara Moore.

When her body was recovered from the river, the inquest is told, she was flown by helicopter to hospital in Cardiff.

Because the events occurred in this jurisdiction in Cardiganshire it is being dealt with in Aberystwyth, he tells the hearing.

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Family attending the hearing

The family of Kiara Moore have entered the courtroom ahead of the hearing, which is due to begin shortly.

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