Bronson Battersby is on my mind tonight.

[ThirtyFlirtynThriving]

Utterly utterly heartbreaking story. I have a 2 year old and I just can’t fathom.

I have terrible general anxiety’s no health anxiety and one of my worst fears is to die at home while in sole car of my children, they’re so young they wouldn’t know what to do, or what was happening.. they wouldn’t be able to get out of the house alone and the thought of them scared, unable to wake me, crying alone makes me feel sick and awful. Reading about poor Bronson Battersby has really made me think.

The rest of the family must be devastated and given the circumstances and just the small details known from the media that’s something you can never-not think about. How does one get over that kind of grief?!

I hope Bronson is at rest now 🩵

Sometimes it's frustrating when people can't/don't read.

Of course I have no evidence – and neither do you have any evidence to the contrary. That's why I said: "Putting aside the fact that Sarah and the newspaper's testimony are likely unreliable: IF true," leaving ample space for the possibility that the social worker was in fact explicit instead of relying on implications.

I left space for both possibilities, whereas you're deadset on one skewed option. You saying "I can tell you that if I was working with this family" doesn't make it particularly conclusive evidence either, because who are you? Why should your opinion magically hold as much weight as you seem to think it does? Also, it's equally pointless for you to speculate about it, but that's what we're all doing here.

I've spoken with the landlady multiple times over the last week or so, and been told that there was a neighbour really trying to cause trouble for my Dad, and a few other's, quite vindictively.
I was also told by the police inspector whilst they're investigations were ongoing initially, that oftentimes a child so young can go silent when suffering from dehydration, and starvation, when asked why no one had heard his cries or heard the dog barking. Skylar was a very vocal dog, especially when anyone had knocked on the door etc. Beautiful, and a lovely temperament, but scatty. She'd not barked or made any noises until the landlady and social worker had gained entry into the property.

We did also get told that they looked peaceful. My Dad's collapse and death would have been very quick, and the coroner was almost certain that rhe seizure to Bronson's brain would have also been quick. His Mum stating more recently about having visions of him wandering around hungry, and being 2 inches too small to reach the fridge, are rediculous to hear, knowing that all the doors were shut, and there was a hungry dog shut in the kitchen. Had Bronson reached the kitchen, it could have been an even more tragic incident.
There's still so many unanswered questions surrounding their death's, answers that we may never get but we're hoping that once the rapid reviews taken place, that my Dad and Bronson can rest peacefully, and we can begin to grieve properly. I've 3 school age children myself, my youngest only been a little older than Bronson, 2 younger siblings living and going to school in Skegness, and they all deserve the chance to process and grieve what's happened, in a supported and healthy a way as possible.
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding their death's, they had people that loved them, and need to grieve.

Taken into care on the basis of what?

Yes i am in contact with my parents, MIL and siblings several times each week. I don't think that is that unusual, I don't tend to hear from my young adult son so much when he is away at University ( presumably and hopefully having a great time) but I would raise the alarm if I didn't hear from the olds for a few days.

Because the neighbour apparently heard him shouting and then he died. Because obviously shouting at your toddler is harmful enough to have your child removed and the social workers should have predicted that the poor man would die. Duh!

I read yoir BBC interview juat now, and I'm m sorry for your loss @MelBB86.

May your father and brother rest in peace.

I actually think this is a great example of social work. She's done everything she can to get into that property. It's the police that have grossly failed. They should have been there in the same day, if not hour.

I haven't seen any info on the mother. I'm just reading the rest of the thread and am intrigued as to what the agreement was. Very easy to assume it's as simple as there being a custody agreement and it wasn't her "slot". People seem to be intent on blaming the mother on social media.

Agree re the social worker but not re the police. We don't know how high the alert was. People are allowed to not answer the door or the phone and it doesn't warrant police breaking in. Without knowing exactly why the social worker asked for the welfare check we can't say the police were remiss. We don't live in a police state, we have rights to quiet enjoyment of our private lives without state interference. There needs to be a very good reason to breach those rights and we just don't know whether police had one at the earlier point or not.

@RowanMayfair yes agree with that to be fair. I am imagining the call should have been prioritised based on the father's ill health and a 2 year old being unaccounted for at a time when it was agreed to meet social services. It may be that this is not the message that was passed on.

I am also imagining the police just decided not to do it based on my own experience when trying to get the police to do a welfare check.

I am really struggling with this too. I have a 2 year old too and I can't stop thinking about that poor, scared boy and how he may have felt and suffered. I just can't seem to let it go and its really effecting me

I'm feeling the same as you. I have a 2 year old boy, 1 month younger than dear little Bronson and I burst into tears reading the story and what the poor little soul went through. I just imagined it being my boy and now I can't get this story out of my mind. It's really effected me.

Such a needless death for such an innocent little baby 😥🥺

@Twdfn123 I'm not normally an emotional person, but I cried and cried when my mum told me. I'm struggling to watch my son play or even hear him cry without immediately being brought to tears thinking of Bronson and how confused he must have been. I've been looking online to try find if there any kind of support to get behind, for The family but I think its still all so fresh
I feel like I need to get professional help to work through the anxiety this has given me.

@MelBB86 if there is any way we can show our support for you and your family please let us know

This has to be kept at the forefront. He died in tragic circumstances, not as the result of abuse. People should stop looking for scratches/bruises/mud on the few photos we've seen. If I took photos of my dc at various points of the day (post food, walking around in only a nappy, after playing outside) it would be very easy to see the 'neglect'. At no point have SS said he was neglected or at risk of harm.

And I think this highlights the breakdown of neighbourly relations in today's society. An older man with a very young child should have been missed, especially in a block of flats. It's a tragedy altogether 💔

I feel exactly the same as you 100%. I've got a tightness in my chest every time I think about it or look at my son. It just physically and mentally hurts thinking about that poor baby. I sort of wish they wouldn't keep publishing stories as I don't want to read them. He was such a beautiful little thing.

Just don't know what to say really.

This was a troubled family on social services radar where it seems the parents’ relationship was characterised by arguments and break ups. The man’s own (supposed) daughter has posted to say that the mother was chaotic and sometimes violent and had had numerous children previously removed. The likely reality is that the neighbours were just relieved when they didn’t hear or see anything or anyone from that flat, and weren’t going to go courting it when there was some peace.

It’s sad that the outcome was two unnoticed deaths, but context is everything.

I think if you have a child of a similar age as Pp have said, it can cause you to over- identify with the situation.

We all probably remember tragic cases of children though the years- and will always remember.

Perhaps a counsellor will help- but remember terrible things are happening to children the world over- all we can do is to try to look out for the children we have or can help -or by looking out for neighbours.( of any age).

@Twdfn123 Sending prayers of peace for all those involved and all of us effected by this tragedy. Look after yourself, lean on your people and and hug your little man tight.

That phrase “ Hug your baby/ toddler/teenager tight” when others have lost children seems such an odd thing to say.

It’s one of those terms-
that can come off as a little bit smug - as if the one who died wasn’t hugged or loved.

When the four teenagers died in Wales, there were the same comments made
“ I’ll hug my teenager extra close tonight “ &c

As if that would make the slightest bit of difference to the situation OR to keep the “hugged ones “safe in future.

It’s trotted out so often- but needs thinking about.

That's not remotely what it means. It means be grateful that your own kids are safe and well.

I think this is a negative way to look at it. It means nothing of the sort, it just means hug your child and be grateful they are safe.

So sad.
These things do hqppen with older people.
My grandmother died whioe babysitting my cousin over 40 years ago.
Luckily it was just a few hours.

Mine at 2 would have likely moved chairs to get food. Or unlocked the door to get out. However they also did silly things like eating charging cables and flooding sinks etc
Very chikd dependent
For older kids knowing to phone for help or shout out the window.

That surely goes without saying!
Who on earth would want harm to come to their child/ren.

” I’ll hug mine as yours can no longer be hugged” is how that trite saying comes across.

By all means hug a child but no need to announce it publicly.

I think you're just being picky for the sake of it. There's a time and a place for it and it's just not relevant right now tbh. So what if a mother wants to hug her child.