Father welcomes police review of son's death

The father of a five-year-old boy who died while in the care of a children's brain injury charity has welcomed a review of the police investigation into his death.

Connor Wellsted, from Sheffield, suffocated when a cot bumper became lodged under his chin during a stay at The Children's Trust's Tadworth unit in Surrey in 2017. An inquest found the cot was overdue a service and used infrequently.

Surrey Police, which has admitted shortcomings during the investigation, said it was reviewing the circumstances of the inquiry into Connor's death.

Discussing the police review, Chris Wellstead, from Doncaster, said: "I never thought this day would actually come, in all honesty."

"I didn't think I would live to see the day where I'd get the phone call."

In a statement, The Children's Trust said the force had not been in contact about the review but they would "co-operate fully should they get in touch".

Connor had neurological disabilities caused by a brain injury after he suffered a near-miss sudden infant death syndrome when he was five weeks old.

On 18 April 2017 he began what should have been a six-week stay at the trust for intensive neuro-rehabilitation, but was found dead in a padded cot on 17 May.

An inquest found his cot was nine years old, was used infrequently and had not had an annual service for the previous five years.

"He meant the whole universe, that boy was my beating heart," said Mr Wellsted.

The inquest in 2022 concluded Connor had probably stood up and held on to the cot bumper, which was not properly fixed, causing it to dislodge and trap his neck, obstructing his airway.

Coroner Dr Karen Henderson said police and the coroners' service were not initially "fully informed of the circumstances" and the scene had "not been preserved".

Key details were also not shared with the pathologist who performed the autopsy, the inquest heard, preventing a forensic post-mortem examination taking place to establish how or if the cot bumper may have contributed to his death.

Surrey Police admitted shortcomings during the initial investigation into Connor's death, including failing to send a detective inspector to the scene in line with a policy on sudden deaths.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "We fully accept this was a failing on our part.

"As a result, the force is now reviewing the investigation into the circumstances of Connor's death to ascertain if any further enquiries need to be made."

They added: "We have been in contact with Connor's family and will be keeping them updated."

Mike Thiedke, chief executive of The Children's Trust, said: "Eight years on from Connor's death, we recognise his loss remains devastating for his family and loved ones.

"We will always be sorry that Connor died while in the care of The Children's Trust and that nothing we can say will ever take away the sorrow and pain."

He continued: "We understand that Surrey Police are conducting a review of their own investigative processes into Connor's death - we have not been contacted by the police but will of course make ourselves available and co-operate fully should they get in touch.

"Over the past eight years we have undergone significant transformation and made substantial improvements and we are confident that introduced measures have strengthened safety, communication, and transparency across our services."

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