Crucial information needed to piece together Skegness toddler Bronson Battersby's tragic death

More information is needed to piece together a timeline of a toddler's tragic death. Two-year-old Bronson Battersby was found dead with his father Kenneth on January 9 inside a flat in Skegness.

An inquest was opened in June, which heard how police were called by a "concerned" neighbour who hadn't seen Kenneth for a while and reported a smell coming from the flat. Kenneth's body was found behind the living room door and Bronson was found dead between his father's legs.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that Bronson died because of dehydration and the inquest was adjourned pending further investigations. A pre-inquest review hearing took place on Thursday, November 28 at the coroner's court in Lincoln to gather all interested parties together and move the case forward so a full inquest hearing can take place.

Those in attendance both in-person and via video link included representatives of Lincolnshire Police, Lincolnshire County Council and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as well as Bronson's step sister Melanie Battersby. Bronson's mother Sarah Piesse was not in attendance.

Addressing Ms Battersby, area coroner Jayne Wilkes said: "You have my deepest condolences for the loss of this little boy in such tragic circumstances."

Ms Wilkes described the pre-inquest review as a "nuts and bolts hearing" and noted that there will be further hearings of this nature before a full inquest can be held. She also noted that no decision has been made on whether a jury is needed for the full inquest.

Addressing the court, Ms Wilkes described Bronson's circumstances as "somewhat unusual" as there is no factual basis as to when Bronson died. It was heard how Bronson's recorded date of death (January 9) is not likely to be the date he actually died.

Ms Wilkes noted that the key issue at this point in time is establishing a timeline with regards to Bronson's time of death and also his father Kenneth's death. The court heard how Kenneth died of a sudden cardiac arrest due to underlying heart disease. He is likely to have been dead for a number of days prior to being found and Bronson is likely to have died after his father.

It was found that Bronson, who was born prematurely, had low body and muscle fat and had bruising on his bottom. He also had hepatic steatosis, a condition where excess fat builds up in the liver.

The court heard how Bronson's last health review may have been during his 10-month check, more than a year before his death. Ms Wilkes said it was likely that Bronson would still be alive had his father not died.

Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire County Council agreed to work together to establish a timeline around Bronson's death, with help from other interested parties. Ms Wilkes outlined a number of outstanding pieces of information which may help with the timeline.

These included a mobile phone analysis of Kenneth's phone, selfies taken by Bronson on December 31, social media profile analysis and Kenneth's financial accounts and spending. It was heard how a neighbour and key witness, Amanda Tovey, claimed she heard Kenneth shouting at Bronson at 10pm on December 31 and heard the toddler crying.

Ms Wilkes said it was unlikely that a full inquest would take place until early autumn 2025. March 1 was given as a date for submission of evidence from interested parties, with the next hearing to take place some time in the first two weeks of April.

In September, the IOPC concluded its investigation into the deaths of Bronson and Kenneth. Investigators say they reviewed all relevant calls and contact involving Lincolnshire Police from January 2 to the discovery of the bodies and confirmed that there was "no indication" any Lincolnshire Police officer or member of staff may have breached police professional standards.

The Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership is still undertaking an in-depth, independent review of the case.