Christopher Rodgers: Trial told lifeguard thought swimmer was training

On the night of the incident, he said Mr Rogers was swimming under water and holding his breath at bottom of pool working to improve his lung capacity.

Court heard, Mr Holden had been observing the pool from the poolside high chair.

He had been due to be relieved at 21:15 but the other lifeguard didn’t arrive until 21:18.

Upon leaving the high chair, Mr Holden said he had no concerns about Mr Rogers who was already on the floor of the pool.

However, minutes later Mr Holden recalled seeing Mr Rogers being pulled from the pool.

“I ran around and hit the alarm.”

Mr Holden said he was then involved in performing CPR and rescue breaths.

Following Mr Rogers death, he said he and other workers at the centre attended his funeral.

“It impacted me quite badly,” he said.

“Lifting out someone your own age. It’ll never leave me.”

Under cross examination from Geraldine McCullough, Mr Holden said he had made assessments not assumptions about Mr Rodgers’s condition.

Ms McCullough highlighted that these were incorrect.

“Yes with hindsight,” he said.