Bronson Battersby’s mum shares anguish as Lincolnshire County Council review into death in Skegness and inquest could take over 6 months
The mother of two-year-old Bronson Battersby, who tragically starved to death in Skegness curled at his dead father’s feet, is still coming to terms with her loss.
Now she shares her anguish with the impending inquest and an in-depth review into the actions of child social services, which could take over six months.
Heartbroken mum Sarah Piesse, 43, tearfully declared “I want my boy,” insisting that more could have been done to save her son after his body was discovered next to his father Kenneth Battersby, who had succumbed from a heart attack several days earlier. Only their pet dog survived the ordeal.
The two were found together in their flat on Prince Albert Avenue on Tuesday, January 9, leading Lincolnshire County Council to conduct a “rapid review” of the circumstances.
However, the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) has since decided to do a more in-depth, independent review of the case, which could take up to six months to complete.
It will consider whether any steps could be taken to better safeguard and promote the welfare of children and prevent or reduce the risk of similar incidents in future. An inquest into Bronson’s death is also reportedly scheduled to take place around eight months from now.
Over a month since the tragic incident, Sarah is still deeply saddened, sharing: “I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, and when I do sleep, I have nightmares.
“I don’t get a break from it, there is always something. I can’t even watch the news anymore.”
Ms Piesse revealed the tough few weeks she’s endured, noting the unkind public reaction to the news and recounting distressing incidents, such as being spat at in the street. “People are saying it’s my fault,” she added.
She later recounted that she learned of the incident when a friend called her with the news about Kenneth. She remembered rushing down the street, shouting “Where’s Bronson?” in an attempt to find out what had happened to him.
“I ran to the property, and the police asked who I was. They took me to the ambulance and told me they found Bronson in the flat with his dad.”
After it announced it will be conducting the in-depth review of the events, Chris Cook, independent chair of the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, said: “Keeping children safe is a priority for all local agencies, and it’s important we take time to explore fully the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident and identify any potential improvements we could make.
“To that end, we will be commissioning an independent author to make a detailed analysis of the work of local safeguarding partners. The family will also be given an opportunity to contribute to this process.
“We expect the review to take around six months to complete, and the report will be published, although we will not be able to share it until any other related investigations, such as the potential inquest, are closed. Our thoughts remain with the family at this difficult time.”
