On January 9, two-year-old Bronson Battersby was found curled up next to his father, who had died of a heart attack over the holidays. He had been dieing of hunger.
When Lincolnshire Police went to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is a police watchdog, they were told that their actions before the two were found would be looked into.
A social worker said that the police were called about the child’s safety a week before his body was found in the Skegness home.
What we know about the events that led to the toddler’s death is shown below.
25th December
Bronson’s mother, Sarah Piesse, said that he and his father, Kenneth Battersby, 60, ate “a big Christmas dinner together.”
“They had all the trimmings and chicken instead of turkey, because Bronson liked chicken,” she said to The Sun.
“The food would still be in the fridge.” She also said, “Bronson would have lived if he were just a little taller.”
“The fridge would have been packed with Christmas leftovers.”
The Sun says that Ms. Piesse and Mr. Battersby broke up in 2019. They also have a three-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son together.
Bronson lived with Mr. Battersby for six months because Ms. Piesse moved into a new apartment with a two-year-old that couldn’t handle the high stairs without a handrail, she said.
26th December
A neighbor said the last time she saw Bronson and his dad was on Christmas Day, on their way to town to shop.
Their “big smiles” and waves were what she said.
The neighbor who did not want to be named said that they got along great.
“Bronson was a gorgeous, happy little boy who just wanted cuddles and his dad was his best friend – they were inseparable,” she noted.
27th December
In the afternoon, Mr. Battersby got a text message from the same neighbor who was worried about his health.
After one minute, she got a message that said, “Thank you both for caring about me. Bronson really does mean the world to us.”
That same day, a social worker also talked to Mr. Battersby and made plans to visit on January 2.
From what the council says, Bronson should get a visit at least once a month.
January 1st
The neighbor tried to send another message wishing Mr. Battersby and Bronson a happy New Year, but no one answered.
February 2
As planned, the social worker went to the house but got no response. She called the police and looked for Bronson in other homes.
The last time Bronson’s mother saw him was before Christmas. She said that the autopsy showed that “Bronson starved to death because his dad died.”
“They think Kenneth died no earlier than December 29,” she stated.
“It means if the social worker had pushed to get in when she got no reply on 2 January then Bronson would still have been alive.”
Heather Sandy, who is in charge of children’s services at Lincolnshire County Council, told ITV News, “Social workers aren’t allowed to break into homes; that’s against the law, so we couldn’t do that.” We were going to call the police.
Lincolnshire County Council said that the social worker did call the police and then looked into other places where the child might have been.
January 4th
When the social worker went back to the house, no one was there, so she called the police.
Bronson’s mom said that social workers called her and asked if she had gotten any messages from Mr. Battersby. She also said that they didn’t give her any other signs that something was seriously wrong.
January 9th
The landlord let the social worker into the house, where they found the bodies of the father and son.
The police said they got there around 3:25 p.m. after she called them.
Police said in a statement after the bodies were found that they were not looking into the deaths as suspicious.
Mr. Battersby’s mother said she heard the news from a friend who lived on the same road as him.
“Where the hell is my boy then?,” Ms. Piesse told The Sun. “Where is my boy?” I ran as fast as I could to get there. I got there in the blink of an eye. I screamed Bronson’s name as I ran down the road.
“I screamed for him because I knew he would need me.” When his dad died, I was afraid of what he might have seen. But when I got to the scene, the police put me in the back of an ambulance.
“They told me that a two-year-old boy was found at the scene of the crime and that an autopsy was being done.” Everything in my life fell apart. I was yelling, “How?” How?’”
She told them she couldn’t hold her son while they went to find him.
“I couldn’t pick him up because his body was too fragile,” she stated.
“All I could do was touch him.” He had been there for too long.
The end result
Lincolnshire Police said on January 17, 2017, that they had talked to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The police force said in a statement: “The exact actions of organisations involved will be analysed in a forthcoming review and at this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further.
“As part of standard procedures we have referred this to the IOPC as a result of a death or serious injury following police involvement.”
Bronson’s mum has been critical of the social worker’s conduct leading up to his death.
Ms. Piesse told The Sun, “They can’t let them get away with this.”
“We have to be able to rely on social workers to keep our children safe.”
The social worker in question has not been fired, but has taken time off because of the traumatic event.
The Lincolnshire County Council said it is “there for the family during this tough time.”
It also said that it is “currently carrying out a review of the case alongside partner agencies to better understand the circumstances” of the tragedy.
The IOPC said on Thursday, January 18, that Lincolnshire Police would be looking into what they did before the bodies were found.
