A two-year-old girl died after falling into a pond at a farm having been left “unsupervised for a period of 30 minutes”, an inquest heard.
Masie Elizabeth Lomax-Newton was found “face down” in the water after CCTV showed the toddler had been there for 15 minutes before being found.
The tragic incident happened at Crab Fold Farm, in Atherton, on November 8, 2021. Masie, who was just two years and three months old, was rushed to hospital after she “accidentally” plunged into the water through a part of the fence which had partially fallen down.
The inquest at Bolton Coroner’s Court heard earlier this week that Masie was unresponsive when she was found, and that she had “drowned as a result of the immersion” in the water.
Emergency services attended and immediate resuscitation was commenced by paramedics at the scene and once she had been transferred to Royal Bolton Hospital. Masie was then transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital later that day.
Due to lack of oxygen, the inquest heard that she suffered a hypoxic brain injury, which was later confirmed by MRI scans.
She was intubated weeks later, on November 23, due to her “poor prognosis”, however her breathing became “more difficult” over the course of a few days, reported the Manchester Evening News.
Masie passed away in hospital on December 1, 2021 and following her death, a police investigation was launched with her mum, Emma Lomax-Newton and grandma Cindy Molyneux, 52, later pleading guilty to child neglect.
Last December, they were both sentenced to a 12 month community order and 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirement days.
In court, Masie was described as a “bright, loving, bubbly child who enjoyed books, singing and dancing”.
The court was told that her mum Emma had bought her a pony after she was born “so she could share in her family’s love for animals”. The inquest heard that Masie’s medical cause of death was bronchopneumonia and global hypoxic brain injury as a result of drowning.
Assistant Coroner Michael James Pemberton came to a conclusion of accidental death, contributed to by neglect.
The conclusion from the record of inquest said: “Masie Elizabeth Lomax-Newton died as a consequence of accidentally falling into a pond whilst unsupervised by adults. This led to a hypoxic brain injury and following extubation after a poor prognosis she succumbed to bronchopneumonia which arose as a consequence of her drowning. Neglect contributed to her death.”
