It was little Ronan Kennedy from Templederry in Ireland drowned at the Quality Hotel in Youghal, Co Cork, while at a kids club.
A CCTV footage of his final moments showed the three-year-old exiting the changing room and walking over to the jacuzzi.
Dublin Coroner’s Court heard how the toddler stepped into the seat of the tub, and then directly into the middle before disappearing in July 2015. At the time of the tragedy, kids club staff were putting armbands on other children next to the pool near the reception area, the court heard.
He was at a kids club at the Quality Hotel (Picture: Google maps)
According to the Irish Mirror, a number of people walked past the jacuzzi – however the boy was not visible beneath the bubbling water.
He floated to the surface a few minutes later.
Ronan was soon spotted by Liam Moloney, who was visiting the pool with his own son and grandson.
Speaking in court, he said: ‘I saw this little lad, I thought he was swimming underwater at first. I touched his head and lifted him out of the pool.’
Ronan’s parents, Bridget and John Kennedy, are now calling on the government to introduce regulations for swimming pools immediately.
Pools in Ireland are currently unregulated in regards to safety.
Garda James Heffernan of Youghal Garda Station said: ‘He stepped into the seat of the jacuzzi and then he stepped directly into the middle of the jacuzzi.
‘Unfortunately he is not visible for a number of minutes until he drifts out into the pool where he is found.’
The cause of death was hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy due to drowning according to Pathologist Dr Deirdre Devanney.
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