Babbs Mill: Coroner concludes four boys who fell through ice on frozen lake died accidentally
A coroner has concluded accidental death in the inquests into the deaths of four boys who died after falling through the ice on a frozen lake in Solihull.
Brothers Samuel Butler, who was six, and Finlay Butler, eight, died along with their 11-year-old cousin Thomas Butler, and another boy - Jack Johnson, who was 10, in on 11 December 2022 at Babbs Mill Lake in Kingshurst.
The boys were pulled from the lake and taken to hospital. Jack and Thomas were taken to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, but died the same day.
Finlay and Samuel were taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital but died on 12 December and 14 December, respectively.
The inquest heard today the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.
Jack Johnson was the first to walk out onto the ice. He was with two other children and had been playing at the local skate park - but wanted to skim stones along the water. Shortly afterwards, Samuel Butler, his brother Finlay and their cousin Thomas arrived to feed the ducks. Finley walked out onto the frozen lake and around 12 metres from land - he fell through. As the others tried to help him - they also went under.When police first arrived they couldn’t see any of the boys, who weren't visible from the land. Against medical advice, officers entered the water themselves - forming a human chain.
Senior coroner Louise Hunt ruled their deaths were an "awful, tragic accident" and said West Midlands Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service and West Midlands Fire, as well as the NHS, all did their best in the situation.
She said: "There really is only one conclusion, that this was an awful, tragic accident. The emergency services undertook considerable efforts to try and save them.
"Everyone involved did all they could to help the boys and they should be commended for their actions."
Tributes heard at the inquest
The youngest of the boys, Samuel, was just six years old. His family said he loved dogs and fire engines, describing him as their very own fireman Sam. They said they couldn’t be prouder of the boy he was and the young man he would have become. Sam and his eight-year-old brother Finlay were inseparable. Finlay was described as a child full of character, who loved swapping Pokémon cards, and dressing up.Their cousin, 11-year-old Tom, always had a smile on his face. He loved going out on his bike and meeting friends at the park.Jack Johnson, aged 10, was described as a loving, caring boy, who loved being outside and climbing trees.
His family said: "We only got a short time with Jack, just 10 short years, but we will always cherish and remember him."
At an initial inquest hearing into the boys' deaths, held in Birmingham last December, the coroner heard three of the boys were rescued after 22 minutes in the water, while the fourth was pulled out of the lake after 31 minutes.
Members of the public called the emergency services after seeing children, who had been playing on the icy surface of the lake, fall through, and into the water.
The children's deaths prompted an outpouring of tributes from the community, with hundreds of tributes, cards, flowers, teddy bears, balloons and sweets left at a makeshift shrine in their memory in the days after the incident.