A
baby boy whose favourite word was 'bath' drowned after being left alone
at bath time when his mother became distracted by household chores.
Paul
Carter-Young, aged 21 months, got into difficulties at the family home
in Rossendale, Lancashire, as he splashed about in the tub and popped
water balloons unsupervised.
His
mother Kelly Young, 36, had been distracted folding clothing and sheets
and talking to another of her four children in an adjoining room when
the tragedy occurred in April.
Paul Carter-Young (pictured) was
21-months-old when he drowned at his family home while playing with his
toys and water balloons in the bath unattended as his mother folded
sheets and clothes in a different room
An inquest heard
how detectives investigated the incident but were content that there
were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and that the
youngster had been 'absolutely loved' by his parents
She found her son face down in the water when her youngest daughter raised the alarm.
Paramedics
were called to the family's £300,000 detached home but the youngster
was pronounced dead on arrival at Royal Blackburn Hospital.
An
inquest heard how detectives investigated the incident but were content
that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and
the boy had been 'absolutely loved'.
They
concluded Miss Young and her company director partner Paul Carter, 54,
led a 'quite a hectic' family life with four children and were 'beside
themselves' over their son's death.
The
hearing was told he had been born weighing 5lbs 3oz and with a cleft
lip but had surgery at three months old and smiled a week later. He had
two sisters, Imogen, 14, and Amelia, and an older brother.
The youngster was found face down in
the bath at the family's £300,000 family home (above) in Rossendale,
Lancashire, on April 10. He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital but
was pronounced dead on arrival
In
a statement Miss Young, who was excused from attending the Burnley
hearing, said: 'He never cried, he was so strong. Imogen did everything
for him. He would whinge and she would tell me what he wanted.'
She added that his favourite word was 'bath' and that he would like to pop water balloons while being washed.
The
inquest heard how the tragedy occurred on April 10 when Miss Young ran a
bath for her two youngest children - the toddler and his sister Amelia.
Young Paul sat in the bath with his toys and jugs but Amelia had not wanted to get in.
Miss
Young added: 'We have always had a busy, noisy house. He would love the
bath. Dragon always had to be put in the water with jugs and toys. I
went to get Amelia, I didn't know why she didn't want to get in. I went
to the landing.'
She
added that she went to look in the bathroom and heard the balloons
popping before going to her bedroom and talked to eldest daughter
Imogen. She began folding up clothes while shouting for Amelia to get
into the bath.
Still hearing balloons popping, the inquest heard that Miss Young's other daughter then came in and began talking to her.
The young boy was nicknamed 'Dragon'
by his family because he was born in the Chinese year of the
mythological creature and loved baths and water
She then said she heard Amelia say: 'Mummy Dragon'.
In
her statement Miss Young added: 'I ran to the bathroom, everything
happened very quickly. Dragon was face down in the bath. I scooped him
up and held him in my arms, patting his body. I told Imogen to take
Amelia away and shouted for Paul to come up.'
The youngster was put in the recovery position and his parents attempted resuscitation causing the boy to be sick.
Miss Young then ran to a neighbour who was a trainee nurse and banged on the window before returning to the house.
The
statement read that Miss Young was unable to go up the stairs adding,
'I can't do when my kids get hurt, I just want to run away.'
She
added that when she saw paramedics carrying him down the stairs she
thought he was going to be okay before her partner called her from the
hospital to tell her the news.
She added that she took the youngster's dragon pyjamas to the hospital and told him: 'I'm sorry'.
Pathologist Naomi Carter was unable to say how long the boy had been under the water.
In
a statement read out at the inquest, Dr Carter said: 'Death is
consistent with having drowned. It is not assessable to say how long he
was under the water. Bubble bath and large toys may have put him at an
increase of slipping.'
Detective
constable Leanne Lyons, of Lancashire Police, said Miss Young had been
'beside herself ' and had 'thought he would be okay'.
She told the inquest that the couple had been left devastated.
She
said: 'They were blaming themselves, a very natural thing to do. They
were distressed, blaming themselves and then supporting each other.
'They
had quite a hectic family life. From the offset there was no
inconsistency. They understood why I was there. Like in most households
bath time can quite easily get out of hand.
'I
was quite happy with the explanation that was given at the time. Both
the mother and father were clearly devastated. She talked quite openly
about how Dragon loved water whereas she had a fear of water and was
wary of it.'
East
Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor said he understood why Miss Young
hadn't wanted to attend the inquest and returned a conclusion of
accidental death.
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