Inquest hears boy left Suffolk playground through fence gap

An inquest has heard that three-year-old Noah Woods left a playground in Brantham, Suffolk, through a gap in the fence before he was later found dead in a pond. The Guardian reported that Noah became separated from a relative after visiting the playground at Merriam Close on the afternoon of 15 September. Suffolk police said the child then went in the direction of a pond.

The inquest was told that he had left the play area through a gap in the fence. The supplied material does not provide further evidence heard during the proceedings about the condition of the fence, how Noah became separated from his relative or the precise sequence of events that followed. Noah was subsequently found dead in the pond.

The available report does not state when he was found, who located him or provide medical findings about the death. The case is being considered at an inquest, which has heard evidence about the child’s movements after he left the playground. The supplied material does not give the date of later hearings, the identity of witnesses beyond the references to Suffolk police and the relative, or any conclusion reached by the inquest.

The evidence reported so far concerns how Noah exited the play area and the direction in which he travelled before he was found.