He had just started swimming lessons at school but they said there was no point for someone so afraid of the water

Michael Stockdale

It is thought Kieran may have stepped into the river as part of a dare as the children played by a waterfall on the banks of the river.

One of the children, a ten-year-old girl, told a passer-by of the accident and he called the emergency services on his mobile telephone.

Police pulled Kieran out of the river and paramedics tried to resuscitate him at the scene.

He was later taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Organ donation

Mrs Stockdale, 33, said her son's bone marrow, heart valves and corneas would be donated to those needing organ transplants.

"That's what my little boy would have wanted. He would have helped anybody," she said.

Mr Stockdale said: "He had just started swimming lessons at school but they said there was no point for someone so afraid of the water."

Detective Sergeant Stuart Beardshall led the investigation into the "tragic accident" at the Sprotbrough Falls.

He said he would contact British Waterways to suggest barriers or fencing be installed to keep children away from the water.