Eastbourne five-year-old died after tragic choking incident at nursery

The inquest, which was held at Eastbourne Town Hall on Thursday, February 10, heard how Julianna Katia Starkey died on August 16, 2021 after choking on a lunch of beef stew, Yorkshire pudding and mashed potato at Busy Bees in Larkspur Drive.

Ambulance workers said staff at the nursery called 999 at 11.42am on August 10 when they heard the youngster struggling to breathe, and attempted abdominal thrusting and CPR while waiting for emergency services.

Paramedics said they arrived at the scene at 11.47am where they found the girl suffering from a cardiac arrest. They administered emergency procedures before an air ambulance transported Julianna to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.

Julianna’s airway was restored for a brief period, the inquest heard, and she was transferred to Evelina London Children’s Hospital for further expert treatment, but she sadly died six days later.

The inquest heard that Julianna had struggled with numerous medical issues throughout her young life. These included operations to fit and then remove a tracheostomy, a tube which allows a person to breathe without the use of the nose or mouth.

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze said that due to the extreme rarity of a child dying from choking he was keen to identify whether the five-year-old’s medical history had played a role in her death.

Dr Sanjay Rajendra, Julianna’s GP, attended the inquest at the request of the coroner and gave a detailed overview of her medical history.

He said, “Julianna had to spend quite a long time in hospital after her birth and she was having regular reviews at various hospitals after.

“She was a fighter, an extremely brave girl, who had recovered very well from all those procedures she had, but it left her vulnerable.

“She choked as any child could have choked, but stress and weakness on her upper airway from previous conditions meant that recovery may have been more difficult than a regular child.”

Staff from Busy Bees also attended the inquest to confirm that they had been made aware of Juliana’s medical history and always ensured that staff were observing her when eating.

Detective Sergeant Julie Sapwell, investigating officer, said “The staff at Busy Bees had obviously done their very best to dislodge the blockage.

“There was nothing to suggest that anything suspicious had taken place at the nursery.”

The cause of death given at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital was brain damage from lack of oxygen, with complications from her previous conditions possibly contributing.

Mr Craze agreed with the verdict and said, “We know at the end of the day that she suffered from a very serious brain injury”

The coroner then touched upon the extreme medical difficulties that occur after four to five minutes without oxygen.

The coroner said, “After that point in time you are not going to get a good result as the chances of a medical recovery are low.

“The cause of death comes down to one word; accident.

“On the basis of the evidence, especially the four minute rule, I can’t see how it could be any different.

“I offer my personal condolences to the family of Julianna after this tragic incident, and my sympathies to all others affected.”