A police officer appeared in court this week in connection with the deaths of two Grahame Park teenagers who drowned in a swimming pool at Hendon Police Training School.

PC Danny Phillips, 42, showed no emotion as charges were read to him at the City of London Magistrates Court yesterday.

Gameli Akuklu and William Kadama, both 14, drowned at the pool in Colindale on July 30, 2002, while taking part in the Splash playscheme, run jointly by Barnet Council and the police. They were found unconscious underwater but efforts to resuscitate them failed.

Gameli, a pupil at St Mary's Church of England School, in Barnet, was taken to Northwick Park Hospital where he was pronounced dead. William died a few days later at Great Ormond Street Hospital after doctors decided to switch off his life-support machine.

The Crown Prosecution Service had considered bringing charges against eight other people a police sergeant, two members of police staff, one of whom is now retired, and five other civilian employees but finally recommended that no action be taken. If found guilty of manslaughter, Phillips could be jailed for life. He faces a further charge of failing to take proper care of Gameli and William and the other boys on the scheme.

Harriet Territs, a lawyer representing the boys' families, said they wanted to make sure that the tragic incident could never be repeated, regardless of the outcome of the trial.

"They welcome the fact that there is a public hearing, but this is just the first step in a series of hearings and they firmly believe you always have to look at the organisations involved it's not enough to look at the individuals," she said.

"For them, it's not a justice issue, it's about making sure it doesn't happen again and that has got to start with the organisations.

"It's a case of whether they the organisations should also be held accountable and responsible and really we are just waiting for a decision on that."

Phillips was granted unconditional bail and will next appear at the Old Bailey on April 15.