Parents of Brit backpacker, 23, who drowned on Greater Barrier Reef on her first ever scuba dive say inquest will reveal ‘systematic failings’
Bethany Farrell died during an introductory scuba diving trip just one week into her dream gap year
THE family of a British backpacker who drowned on the Great Barrier Reef during her first ever dive have welcomed an inquest into her death.
Bethany Farrell, 23, was reported to have panicked and died after becoming separated from her instructor during an introductory scuba diving trip just one week into her dream gap year.
Her parents Patrick and Caron Farrell hope an upcoming inquest into her death held in Australia will uncover "a string of systemic failings", according to reports.
They believe the hearing will reveal details on those responsible for Bethany and will finally bring justice for their daughter.
According to the , Mr Farrell told reporters at the : "No stone will be left unturned in our fight for truth and justice for Bethany.
"This inquest will no doubt promise to bring out some shocking revelations of how those responsible conducted themselves that fateful day."
English graduate Bethany Farrell, of Colchester, Essex, was diving off the idyllic Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, Australia, with a friend through a company named as Wings Diving Adventures in reports.
Her parents have been pushing for an inquest to be held in Australia for three years to show the real reason as to how she died.
They will fly to Mackay, Queensland, for the three day hearing set to start on May 22.
Central Queensland Coroner David O'Connell will examine training for novice divers, the conditions of the dive site Ms Farrell was at, and look at the in-water supervision, it was reported on Sunday.
Speaking after an inquest held at Chelmsford Crown Court in 2016 Mr Farrell said: "Ultimately, Bethany went on a paid-for organised trip and was completely let down."
Caroline Beasley-Murray, the senior coroner for Essex, recorded a narrative verdict at the time.
She told the court: "The deceased drowned whilst on an introductory dive in Blue Pearl Bay, Hayman Island."
The court heard from police reports that it was suspected that Bethany "became panicked" and as a result separated from her dive group. She was thought to have resurfaced briefly.
The company was named in the British inquest as DL20 Trading Pty Ltd, but also recorded as going by the name of Wings Diving Adventures, according to an Australian companies checker Australia.
Miss Farrell, who graduated from an English literature and media course at the University of Southampton, arrived in Queensland on February 11 2015.
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Six days later - on February 17 - she embarked on the dive with her friend, another novice.
A post-mortem examination recorded Cambridge-born Miss Farrell's cause of death as drowning.
After the hearing, her mother, 51, paid tribute to her as a "real-life angel", adding: "She was lovely, she was just beautiful."
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