Bronson Battersby died of dehydration next to father’s body, inquest hears

Two-year-old Bronson Battersby, who was found dead next to his father’s body at their home after not being seen for several days, died from dehydration, a coroner’s court has heard.

An inquest into Bronson’s death heard he “appeared to be quite malnourished” when his body was discovered between the legs of his 60-year-old father, Kenneth Battersby, at their home in Skegness, Lincolnshire.

The pair were found after a neighbour called police on the afternoon of 9 January, saying she had not seen Battersby for several days and “there was a smell coming from the flat”.

Relatives said they believed Battersby died from natural causes.

During a brief hearing at Greater Lincolnshire coroner’s court on Thursday, it was confirmed a postmortem had given Bronson’s cause of death as dehydration, and his body was formally identified by a detective sergeant on 15 January.

DI Claire Rimmer, of Lincolnshire Eastern Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit, said Bronson lived in a basement flat with his father, who had separated from his mother.

She told the senior coroner Paul Smith that a social worker and landlord gained entry to the flat on 9 January and found Battersby’s body on the floor behind the living-room door, preventing it from being opened further and leaving them “unaware that Bronson was also in the room”.

Paramedics attended and the deaths of the father and son were confirmed at 4.31pm, the court heard.

The coroner was told a malnourished dog was found inside the property, while the bath tub was “filled with water”.

Adjourning the inquest to a provisional date of 10 December, Smith said Bronson’s death “clearly requires a thorough and sensitive investigation”.

The police watchdog previously said it would investigate whether there were any missed opportunities by officers before Bronson and his father died.

Lincolnshire county council has confirmed Bronson was known to children’s services and would typically be seen at least once a month by social workers.

In a statement shortly after their deaths, the county council confirmed that a social worker communicated with Battersby on 27 December and arranged to visit on 2 January, but there was no response when they arrived.

The social worker “made inquiries at other addresses where the child could be” and contacted police, before a second unannounced visit on 4 January also went unanswered, and Lincolnshire police were contacted again.