The family of a waitress who died in a paddleboarding accident last year lashed out at her cousin who survived just a day after her funeral, a court heard.
Ann Powell, 38, and brother Sean Powell, 40, flew into a rage and beat and beat niece Amber Powell over the belongings of Emma Powell, 24.
A court heard Emma died in a paddleboarding accident in Conwy Morfa in North Wales last July when she crashed into the side of a jetty and became trapped under the choppy water.
Emma and her cousin Amber Powell had bought two paddleboards from it tesco just hours before they hit the water.
But when Amber tried to retrieve her cousin’s belongings – including a lanyard – she was attacked by her relatives.
Emma Powell, 24, died in a paddleboarding accident in Conwy Morfa in North Wales last July when she crashed into the side of a jetty
Ann Powell (right), 38, raged with her niece Amber the day after Emma Powell (left), 24,’s funeral last year
The court heard that Amber survived the tragedy – but her Aunt Ann Powell yelled at her, “You should have died, not Emma.”
Prosecutor Diane Williams said the family feud started the day after the funeral when Amber went to her aunt’s house to retrieve her handbag.
She told Ann Powell she would be given a lanyard that belonged to Emma before she was attacked in Llandudno, North Wales.
The Llandudno Magistrates Court heard Sean Powell pull her into the house and ‘drag’ her into the living room before slapping her.
Ann Powell then hit her in the face with “nine out of ten force” and yelled, “You should have died, not Emma.”
Ann Powell and brother Sean Powell denied assault after the incident on August 2 last year, but were convicted after a trial.
District Judge Gwyn Jones handed the couple, both from Llandudno, 12 months community service with unpaid work.
Sean Powell (pictured) pulled Amber Powell into the house and “dragged” her into the living room before queuing her over their relative’s belongings
Emma Powell died in a paddleboarding accident while on the water in North Wales with her cousin Amber, who survived
An inquest into the death of the 24-year-old waitress heard that the ‘lovely young woman with a bright future’ was the victim of an ‘incredibly tragic coincidence’
He said, “It’s an incident where emotions ran high.”
Ann Powell has to do 140 hours of unpaid work and Sean has to do 160 hours of unpaid work. Both must pay Amber Powell £250 in damages.
It comes after waitress Emma Powell died in July last year after she got stuck in the water leading to a rescue mission.
Coroner John Gittins said the “lovely young woman with a bright future” was the victim of an “incredibly tragic coincidence” during her inquest.
The inquest revealed that neither girl was wearing a life jacket when the Emma got stuck in a ladder near the jetty on Conwy Morfa beach in North Wales.
Emma’s aunt, Ann – or Annie – Powell lashed out at Amber Powell the day after Emma’s funeral, saying she should have been the one who died
Senior coroner John Gittins recorded a conclusion of accidental death, saying, ‘It was the unintended consequence of an intentional act; go paddle boarding and sadly lose her life because of it”
Amber Powell told Ann Powell she would be given a lanyard that belonged to Emma (pictured) before she was attacked in Llandudno, North Wales.
David Jones, from Conwy Lifeboat, said there was a strong tide and current that ‘would be a challenge for anyone to swim against’.
The inquest revealed that she was officially pronounced dead at 12:35 a.m. on July 15 at Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital in Bangor.
Senior coroner John Gittins recorded a conclusion of accidental death, saying, ‘It was the unintended consequence of an intentional act; go paddle boarding and sadly lose her life as a result.”
He issued a report on the prevention of future deaths to the UK government and to Tesco after raising concerns about the use of ankle straps.
Supermarket chain Tesco said it would put a UK canoe safety sticker on all its stand-up paddleboards.