Bronson Battersby: Neighbour 'pretty sure' she heard toddler crying days before death

  • Skegness

A local MP said "obviously" the toddler's death could have been avoided, ITV News Social Affairs Correspondent Stacey Foster reports

A neighbour has said she is "pretty sure" she could hear Bronson Battersby, a two-year-old who died after his father suffered a heart attack, crying through the walls of her flat late on New Year's Eve.

Bronson was found beside his dad Kenneth Battersby, 60, who had suffered a fatal heart attack at his flat in Skegness.

The pair were both found dead days later, with the toddler believed to have starved to death, having not been looked after in the time since his father died.

The local police force has referred itself to a watchdog for review to investigate what happened.

Bronson Battersby, two, and his father Kenneth, 60, who died of a heart attack

The family was known to social services and Lincolnshire Police was contacted on two separate occasions by a Lincolnshire County Council social worker, who got no answer when they tried knocking on the door of Mr Battersby’s home.

A spokesman for the county council confirmed the social worker communicated with Mr Battersby on December 27 and arranged to visit on January 2, but there was no response.

The social workers "made inquiries at other addresses where the child could be” and contacted the police.

A second visit on January 4 also went unanswered, and the police were contacted again.

The social worker was then given access to the property by the landlord five days later, on January 9, where Mr Battersby and his son were found together, dead.

The boy’s mother Sarah Piesse, 43, told The Sun she had last seen her son before Christmas.

The executive director of children's services at Lincolnshire County Council said the social workers did everything they could.

Bronson Battersby, two, who died next to his father Kenneth.

"Social workers are not allowed to force entry into properties, that would be unlawful, so that wouldn't be something we could do. We would contact the police," Heather Sandy told ITV News.

"To be clear, in terms of social workers - the social workers would visit the family once every three weeks maybe every four weeks, it's not something they would be doing on a daily basis. So very sadly, in these tragic circumstances, Kenneth's heart attack has resulted in Bronson's death as well."

Conservative MP for Boston and Skegness said that the police were right to refer themselves to a watchdog for investigation "because there are questions to be answered."

"Obviously this could have been avoided and we need to understand why it wasn't," he added.

The exact circumstances around the toddler's death will now be fully investigated.

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