The UK police watchdog is investigating after a two-year-old boy was found starved to death next to his father who had suffered a heart attack over Christmas.
Bronson Battersby's body was found curled up next to his father Kenneth's at their home in Skegness, Lincolnshire on January 9th.
It had been 14 days since the pair had been seen and it is now believed Kenneth suffered a heart attack no earlier than December 29th.
Bronson was under the care of children’s services in the UK and a social worker visited the home on January 2nd.
When the worker received no answer at the door, they made enquiries at other addresses they believed the child could have been staying and contacted the police, according to Lincolnshire County Council.
The worker returned two days later and again contacted police after receiving no answer.
Five days later, the worker was given access to the property by the landlord and found Bronson and Kenneth dead.
Tragedy
“They found Bronson curled up at his dad’s legs – he was left in the dark and must have been terrified and so confused,” a family friend told The Sun.
Bronson's mother Sarah Piesse said she last saw him before Christmas and told The Sun: "I can't believe it.
"They can't let them get away with this. We have to be able to rely on social workers to keep our children safe."
She said the post-mortem results showed “Bronson starved to death because his dad died”.
“They think Kenneth died no earlier than December 29th," she said.
“It means if the social worker had pushed to get in when they got no reply on January 2nd then Bronson would still have been alive.”
Investigation
In a statement, Lincolnshire Police said it had referred the matter to the UK police watchdog.
“The exact actions of organisations involved will be analysed in a forthcoming review and at this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further,” the statement reads.
"As part of standard procedures, we have referred this to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as a result of a death or serious injury following police involvement."
Children's services
Lincolnshire County Council executive director for children's services Heather Sandy said: "This was a tragic incident, and we are supporting the family at this difficult time.
"We are currently carrying out a review of the case alongside partner agencies to better understand the circumstances, and we await the results of the coroner's investigations as well.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those involved."
Bronson would normally be paid a visit at least once a month, according to the council.
The social worker involved is not suspended but has taken time off following the traumatic experience.
Reporting from IRN.
