What happened on days leading up to two-year-old found starved to death?

Two-year-old Bronson Battersby was found starved to death on 9 January, curled up next to his father who had suffered a fatal heart attack over Christmas.

Lincolnshire Police has referred itself to the police watchdog, as a social worker said the force was contacted over the child’s welfare a week before his body was found in the home in Skegness.

Here’s a timeline detailing what we know about the events that led to the toddler’s death.

25 December

Bronson’s mum, Sarah Piesse, said the two-year-old and his father Kenneth Battersby, 60, had “a big Christmas dinner together”.

“They had all the trimmings and chicken instead of turkey, because Bronson liked chicken,” she told The Sun.

“All the food would have still been in the fridge. If only Bronson was a little bit taller, then he would have survived,” she added.

“The fridge would have been packed with Christmas leftovers.”

Ms Piesse and Mr Battersby separated in 2019, according to The Sun. They also share a daughter, three, and son, seven.

Bronson had been living with Mr Battersby for six months because Ms Piesse moved into a new flat where there was a high staircase without a banister that was unsafe for the two-year-old, she said.

26 December

A neighbour said she had last seen Bronson and his father on Boxing Day on their way to the shops in town.

She said they had waved and had “big smiles”.

The neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, said they were like “two peas in a pod”.

“Bronson was a gorgeous, happy little boy who just wanted cuddles and his dad was his best friend – they were inseparable,” she said.

27 December

The same neighbour sent a text message to Mr Battersby in the afternoon to check on him as she was worried about his health.

A minute later, she received a reply saying: “Thank you both for caring about me and Bronson means the world to us it really does.”

A social worker also spoke to Mr Battersby that day and arranged to visit on 2 January.

Bronson would normally be paid a visit at least once a month, according to the council.

1 January

The neighbour sent another message wishing Mr Battersby and Bronson a happy New Year – but received no response.

2 January

The social worker visited the house as planned, but received no answer. She contacted the police and checked other houses for Bronson.

Bronson’s mum, who last saw him before Christmas, said the post-mortem results showed “Bronson starved to death because his dad died”.

“They think Kenneth died no earlier than December 29,” she said.

“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, executive director for children’s services at Lincolnshire County Council, 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.”

The social worker did contact the police at this point and then made enquiries at other addresses where the child could have been, Lincolnshire county council said.

4 January

The social worker went back to the home, but again was met with no response and alerted the police.

Bronson’s mum said she was contacted by social workers and asked if she had received any messages from Mr Battersby, adding that she was given no indication that anything was seriously wrong.

9 January

The social worker was given access to the property by the landlord, and discovered the bodies of the father and son.

She alerted the police, who said they arrived at around 3.25pm.

In a statement following the discovery, police said the deaths were not being treated as suspicious.

Bronson’s mum said she was told Mr Battersby had died by a friend of hers who lived on the same road as him.

Ms Piesse told The Sun: “My first question was, ‘Where the hell is my boy then? Who has my boy?’ I got down there as fast as I could. I was there in 10 minutes flat. I ran down the road screaming Bronson’s name.

“I screamed for him, knowing he’d need me. I was scared about what he might have seen with his dad passing away. But the police put me in the back of an ambulance at the scene.

“They told me a two-year-old boy was found at the scene and they were doing a post-mortem. My whole world fell apart. I was screaming, ‘How? How?'”

She said she couldn’t hold her son when she went to identify him.

“I couldn’t pick him up because his body was too fragile,” she said.

“I could only touch him. He had been left there too long.”

The aftermath

Lincolnshire Police confirmed on Wednesday 17 January that it had referred itself 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.

“They can’t let them get away with this,” Ms Piesse told The Sun.

“We have to be able to rely on social workers to keep our children safe.”

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The social worker involved is not suspended but has taken time off following the traumatic experience.

Lincolnshire county council has said it is “supporting the family at this difficult time”.

It added that it is “currently carrying out a review of the case alongside partner agencies to better understand the circumstances” of the tragedy.

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