A neighbour of Bronson Battersby became worried and tried to call for help after hearing the toddler “crying all night” but no one ever got back to her.
Amanda Tovey, 43, said to The Mirror that she contacted the NSPCC before Christmas, about two weeks before the toddler’s death, after becoming worried. The NSPCC says it received a report and made a referral to “the appropriate authorities”.
Lincolnshire County Council said it is carrying out “a review of the case”. The toddler lived the weeks leading up to his death “wanting to be loved and cuddled” as his dad Kenneth, who died of a heart attack” struggled to cope with bringing up his son alone. He had begged social services for help, Amanda added.
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“It was mainly at night when he started having a go at the poor lad. I could hear it all from my flat above but I never felt I was in a position to confront him. I have no kids myself so cannot tell someone else how to parent a child.
“I was concerned and shortly before Christmas contacted the NSPCC because I could hear the boy crying all night. I left a message but they never got back to me,” Amanda added.
Bronson, aged two, was found curled up in the dark beside the body of his father Kenneth Battersby. This was weeks after his mum, who had looked after him occasionally, had last seen him alive at Christmas.
Neighbours in Skegness, and the landlady of the flat they lived in, have been left “deeply distressed” and numbed”, said one woman. Bronson is believed to have died from starvation and dehydration at his home several days after his 60-year-old dad died of a suspected heart attack.
Their bodies were found in the grubby, rubbish-strewn basement flat where they lived alone with their pet dog on January 9 after days of attempts to contact them by concerned social services. The child – who was classed as vulnerable and was being checked on weekly – was found in his pyjamas in the dark alongside the family’s emaciated pet boxer dog Skylar who survived.
Amanda, who lives in the flat above dad and son, continued: “Ken tried to be a good dad but he was really struggling. Social services were aware he wasn’t coping very well but did very little, if anything to help.
“He had sole custody of Bronson and they lived alone. He was a cheeky lad and had a sweet little face but he craved love and attention. Whenever I saw him with his dad he would throw his arms around me and the last time I saw him he had kissed me on the cheek. He just wanted to be loved and cuddled.”
Amanda said that Kenneth – who she befriended after she moved into the converted flats near the seafront in July last year – was often “heard shouting and swearing” at the boy.
Amanda, who has given an interview to police and outlined her concerns following the tot’s death, added: “I think Ken had a drinking problem, he used to down cans of lager, and got angry when Bronson wanted attention. Sometimes the poor boy could cry constantly.
“One time I could hear Ken shouting at him ‘Get off my f***n legs’ as the little lad tried to play with him. Ken tried his best but it wasn’t good enough and I know he was trying to get help from social services but they were not very responsive.
“I wasn’t aware of any health issues Ken had but he did like a drink. I don’t think he was ever physically abusive towards the boy, just verbally. Two-year-olds have tantrums and I don’t think Ken could copy with that. I think the child missed having a mother figure around.”
Amanda told of her horror when she found out the toddler had died, saying: “It was heartbreaking and deeply distressing. I felt numb, the poor lad had lain dead next to his dad for days. I saw the two body bags coming out, it was awful. Everyone here feels very emotional and saddened by what happened.”
She told how two concerned social workers had called round to the shared end of the terrace building and had asked her to knock on the dad’s door when they got no response
The tragic discovery came a week after a social worker first raised an alarm about the pair to the police after being unable to contact Kenneth at an arranged meeting on January 2.
A neighbour had seen Kenneth and Bronson on Boxing Day, days after the child’s mother Sarah, 43, last saw her son alive before Christmas. Kenneth is thought to have succumbed to a heart attack before New Year with his son passing away days later due to starvation and dehydration.
The pair were only found when the social worker, who had contacted police twice in the space of a week with concerns about them, used the key of Kenneth’s landlady to gain entry. The partner of landlady Maria Clifton-Plaice who owns the building where the pair died is “absolutely mortified,” her partner Steve said.
An NSPCC spokesperson told the Mirror: “We are upset and deeply saddened by the tragic death of Bronson Battersby and our thoughts are with all those who knew and loved this little boy. The NSPCC Helpline was contacted by an adult with concerns about Bronson’s wellbeing. We then spoke to this individual before making a referral to the appropriate authorities. We are ready to fully support any review into this extremely upsetting case.”
Heather Sandy, executive director for Children’s Services at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “This was a tragic incident, and we are supporting the family at this difficult time. We are currently carrying out a review of the case alongside partner agencies to better understand the circumstances, and we await the results of the coroner’s investigations as well. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those involved.”
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