Bronson Battersby's heartbreaking final Christmas as devastating update emerges

A pre-inquest hearing has this week shed further light on Bronson Battersby's heartbreaking final days, before he was discovered curled up lifeless beside the body of his father Kenneth Battersby

Little Bronson Battersby might still be alive had his father Kenneth Battersby not died, a pre-inquest hearing has heard.

The toddler was discovered curled up between 60-year-old Kenneth's legs, still wearing his Pudsey Bear pyjamas on January 9. Both father and son, described as "two peas in a pod", had died, having last been seen alive on Boxing Day by a visiting neighbour.

It's believed Kenneth, known as 'Kenny' to loved ones, suffered a fatal "sudden cardiac event" before the New Year, while young Bronson died of dehydration shortly after Christmas 2023, with post-mortem examination noting "low body fat and muscle”.

A pre-inquest review hearing held this week at Greater Lincolnshire Coroner's Court has heard how circumstances would suggest that Bronson died after his dad, meaning he'd been left alone at their home in Skegness, Lincolnshire.

Addressing the court on Thursday (November 28), Coroner Jayne Wilkes said: "There has to be a likelihood that had Kenny not passed away, then Bronson would still be alive. At present, we do not have any clear factual basis as to when Bronson passed away.

"He was, of course, pronounced deceased on January 9, but that is not, on the information we have been provided so far, likely to be the day he died. We may never have sufficient information on when Kenny or Bronson passed away, and Kenny's death is clearly important as a supporting or overlapping feature we also need to investigate."

Final Christmas dinner and fridge tragedy

In an interview with The Sun, Bronson's bereaved mother, Sarah Piesse, shared how the toddler and his father had enjoyed a big Christmas dinner together before tragedy struck.

Devastatingly, Sarah, who rowed with Kenneth shortly before Christmas, revealed that Bronson would have been able to survive off festive leftovers had he only been able to reach the fridge. She said: "They had all the trimmings and chicken instead of turkey because Bronson liked chicken. All the food would have still been in the fridge. If only Bronson was a little bit taller, then he would have survived. The fridge would have been packed with Christmas leftovers."

But at the hearing, Ms Wilkes remarked that there had been "limited food in the fridge" and other food items in the freezer were "obviously of no use to Bronson", who appeared to be malnourished.

A neighbour who called on Boxing Day said the 'inseparable' father and son had 'big smiles' as they greeted her. The following day, the same neighbour texted Kenneth as she was concerned about his health issues, receiving the following grateful message in response: "Thank you both for caring about me and Bronson. It means the world to us, it really does." That same day, a social worker spoke with Kenneth to arrange a visit for January 2.

A council spokesperson said in a statement that a social worker had communicated with Kenneth on December 27 and arranged for a visit on January 2.

Desperate tears

As reported by ITV News, a neighbour stated that she was 'pretty sure' she heard Bronson crying through the walls of her flat late on New Year's Eve. A witness also heard Kenneth shouting at his son on the evening of December 31.

Selfies taken by Bronson on December 31, as well as Kenneth's financial accounts, are among the outstanding pieces of information needed to create a timeline of the deaths, as per the coroner. On the first day of 2024, 'Happy New Year' texts sent to Kenneth's phone went unanswered.

On January 2, the social worker knocked on the door of Kenneth's flat and rang the police when she didn't receive an answer.

Reflecting on Bronson's final days, a family friend told The Sun: "It breaks my heart. Bronson deserved so, so much better. He was such a loving, adorable little boy. They found him curled up at Kenneth's legs. He was left in the dark and must have been terrified and so confused.

"He must have thought his dad was just asleep or something. He must have been trying to wake him up. He must have been screaming. I don't know how the neighbours didn't hear. Apparently, children of that age can last three or four days without any food. It must have been torture. He was just gorgeous. He was always smiling and so loving. He always wanted a cuddle. He was like any toddler. He loved anything that made a noise."

Lincolnshire Live previously reported that Detective Inspector Claire Rimmer of Lincolnshire Police told the coroner's court how officers were called by a 'concerned' neighbour who hadn't seen Kenneth for a while and reported a smell.

Door knocks that could have saved Bronson's life

On January 4, the social worker once again visited the flat and contacted the police after her knocks once again went unanswered. It wasn't until January 9, however, that the bodies of Kenneth and Bronson were discovered.

Grieving mum Sarah believes Bronson would still be alive had social services entered the property. She told The Sun: "If social services had done their job, Bronson would still be alive. But they didn't do anything. I can't believe it. They can't let them get away with this.

"They think Kenneth died no earlier than December 29. It means if the social worker had pushed to get in when she got no reply on January 2, then Bronson would still have been alive."

Heather Sandy, executive director for children's services, told ITV News: "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.

"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."

Lincolnshire County Council has stated that Bronson had been known to children's services and would typically be seen by social workers at least once a month. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which conducted an investigation into Lincolnshire Police's involvement before the deaths, said that there was no indication any officer or staff member had been in breach of professional standards.

Ms Wilkes ended the hearing by stating that the full inquest is unlikely to take place before early autumn next year.

Timeline

December 26 - Bronson was last seen alive when he waved at a neighbour who called on him and his dad.

December 27 - Kenneth messaged a neighbour, telling them: "Thanks so much for caring, it means the world to me and Bronson."

January 2 - A social worker knocked on the door but left after nobody answered. She then made enquiries at other addresses and called the police.

January 4 - The social worker made an ­unannounced visit to the property, but again, she received no response and contacted the police.

January 9 - The social worker contacted the landlord before police were informed at approximately 3.25 pm that two bodies had been found That same day, Bronson's mum Sarah was informed and went to identify his body

January 16 - The family received results of a post-mortem showing Kenneth died of a heart attack and Bronson from dehydration and starvation.

January 17 - Lincolnshire County Council confirmed a review was underway, while Lincolnshire Police stated that it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

On February 20, Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership announced an in-depth independent review supported by the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.

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