A neighbour has spoken of the tragedy in Sherwood, Nottingham, after an unnamed eight-year-old boy fell to his death from a bedroom window at a terraced home on Monday
A resident claims “it was a case of when, not if” after an eight-year-old boy fell out of a bedroom window – weeks after police were allegedly called to a similar incident.
Emergency services scrambled to a terraced house on Costock Avenue, in Sherwood, Nottingham, at 7.15pm on Monday after the boy plunged 20ft onto concrete. The boy, who has not been named, was given CPR at the scene before being rushed to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. Despite frantic attempts to save him, he died a short time later.
Neighbours say the tragic youngster was “autistic and non-verbal” and had previously climbed out of the dormer window weeks earlier, prompting police to be called out. One told how he heard the sound of “smashing tiles” shortly before the boy toppled out of the window and off the sloping roof.
The man, who did not want to give his name, said: “I just heard like a crashing onto the tiles and then an initial hitting on the floor. Me and my dad just looked at each other and went ‘what was that?’, you know when something isn’t right. I went around there. The guy next door came out and we both seen him. The guy next door did CPR.
“I phoned the emergency services and got them straight way, it was just awful.” One woman said she had been worried for the child’s safety in the past and had alerted the authorities less than a month ago. The neighbour, who lives a few doors down from the family, said: “I think we all know them.
“We live on the same street, our children go to some of the same schools. I feel like it’s an incident rather than an accident so I’m not going to say what I saw, I think it’s for the police to do their findings. It was a case of when, not if. This boy has absconded from his home on numerous occasions and being returned back by members of the public, myself included.
“When I returned him three weeks ago, maybe a month, his parents said, ‘Oh he’s got out of the window again, I’m so sorry.’ I did actually call the police about a month ago. This is a boy who is autistic and non-verbal and he’s in a top bedroom by himself.
“I know I have personally called them (police) in a month, probably a little bit less. This boy had entered my property and other properties, and I returned him home. It was the top window. I’m not sure if it’s his bedroom or not but him and the other children are often seen playing in the window, climbing on the window ledge.
“It’s quite a busy house. I want to say there’s at least three or four other children in the house. I feel so sad for the boy.” Another neighbour who gave her name as Jodie said she heard ambulances racing to the scene. She said: “I heard all the sirens and I looked out the window and saw the ambulances so knew something quite serious had happened.
“I just knew something quite bad happened. I just know that the eight-year-old boy has fallen from the top window. I’ve had children on this road and I was always petrified of them falling from that window. It’s a tragic accident and I hope nothing like this happens again.
“The windows can open wide, even with child locks on they can be easily opened.” Two police officers stood guard outside the property on Thursday (19/9). Chief Inspector Jon Scurr, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This is a tragic and devastating loss of life and our thoughts are with the boy’s family and loved ones.
“I would like to thank those that have already reported information to us, and would urge anyone who hasn’t yet done so, to please make contact as soon as possible. We are acutely aware that incidents of this nature are incredibly distressing for all concerned, and are felt by the entire community.”
