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A grandmother told an inquest today how her three-year-old grandson sneaked away from her and drowned in a neighbour's pond while she was babysitting him.
Freddie Watmough was found face down in the water 20 minutes after police were called, and despite resuscitation attempts was pronounced dead in hospital.
His grandmother Julie Beardmore was looking after him while his mother, Leanne Beardmore, was at work on 23 May last year.
She told the hearing at Dover magistrates' court the house suddenly became quiet, adding: “I thought Freddie had gone upstairs to bed because he normally did that and put a quilt on top of him.”
She said that after 10 minutes of quiet, she realised he was missing. She phoned her daughter and then the police at 11.46am, before searching the cupboards and other areas of the house in Dover where Freddie might have been.
Neighbour Shaun King said he was carrying out maintenance work on the pond and had broken for lunch when he saw Pc Kevin Sturgess searching for the boy.
“I went out to see him, thinking he was looking for one of my lads,” said Mr King.
“He said he was looking for a little lad. I said I hadn't seen him but for some reason I went straight to the pond and there he was.”
The pond, which contained koi carp, was normally fenced off, but on that day a section had been removed to allow Mr King access for maintenance work.
Pc Sturgess said: “As I was speaking to Mr King, he turned and thought about the pond and shot up the garden. As we arrived, I saw a small figure was lying in the pond face down.”
He said a pile of rubbish, plus a trampoline and a patio table stacked in the corner of Freddie's garden, may have enabled him to scale two walls before venturing out.
Neither Freddie's mother nor his father, Philip Watmough, was in court today. Mrs Beardmore said her daughter could not attend as she is shortly to have another child.
Coroner Rachel Redman recorded a verdict of accidental death. She said: “This was a tragic accident of a little boy who managed to leave his home address, and his attention was drawn to a pond in a neighbouring garden and he tragically died.”
Reader views (4)
Mark, please don't blame the parents for not being responsible + teaching him wrong from right, i am his cousin, and the thing that you don't know is that he had autism!, so please dont go bad mouthing of my family ... get all the facts before you say something like that.
- Shannon, Kent, 15/09/2011 16:21
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Jim, This accicdent is terible but I dont think licencing ponds is right . If a 3 year old child manages to get out of their house and climb a fence to get into a neighbours garden then the child could have just as easy walked out the front and into the road.
- Dal, Bromley, 11/03/2010 13:18
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Jim - People need to take responsibility for their actions. I have a pond that I dug when my kids were born, I fenced it off until they were 5 & 6 yrs old and taught them the dangers of water and how to swim. It is my right to have a pond which my kids love as they catch frogs, newts and watch dragonflies - all species that are becoming rarer in Greater London. How dare you suggest I need a licence! Parents need to be responsible for their kids and not blame others
- Mark, London, 11/03/2010 12:39
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50 years ago a child I knew died in a pond next door to me. Since then I have read many times about this occurring time and time again. Childminders are not allowed to have ponds in a Garden. Foster Carers would be told to fence it off. There should now be an offence of negligence of accidental drowning of a child. Perhaps it hasn't been done up to now because the parents would have been upset enough. But what about a pond licence of £250 a year to cover the council inspection and issuing a licence. You would soon find that ponds would become an endangered species. Instead of children.
- Jim Taylor, Lake District Previously Hogs Back Road Beaconsfield., 11/03/2010 08:10
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