Lifeguard fired after throwing unwilling boy into deep end

A local authority fired a lifeguard after he lifted up an eight-year-old boy, spun him in the air, and threw him into the deep end of a swimming pool. Other children were swimming at the time.

The lifeguard brought an action for unfair dismissal and the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has now dismissed his claim. The incident occurred on February 3, 2016, during a primary school coaching session, and was captured on CCTV. A report by a Council-appointed independent investigator states that the footage shows the boy — who is able to swim — resisting and kicking out, before being thrown into the deep end.

The report states that the lifeguard lifts the boy “and the boy is seen kicking as he lifts him. He then lifts the boy up in the air and throws him into the pool backwards. The boy lands in the pool, quite a distance away.”