Tragic Alex

AN inquisitive Littlehampton toddler, who vanished from his mother s sight within seconds, wandered off alone and drowned in a boating lake, an inquest heard.

Alexander Clark was discovered face- down in Mewsbrook Park boating lake on June 21 after straying from a mother-and-toddler session in the nearby Dome at Littlehampton Swimming and Sports Centre.

The little boy, aged two, whose mother Nasrin, of Granville Road, had turned her back on him for only a few seconds, trotted unnoticed through three sets of doors and about 130 yards down to the lake.

His body, submerged in the lake, was discovered 20 minutes after he disappeared, by one of the mums from the session.

Centre lifeguards attempted to resuscitate him until an ambulance arrived and he was taken to Worthing Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

At an inquest at Arundel Magistrates Court on Monday, a jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Speaking at the inquest, Mrs Clark revealed she and Alexander, who had a fascination with water, had been regularly attending the Whizz Kids activity sessions at the centre since January.

The group was run by a leader, but it was down to the parents to supervise their own children.

Mrs Clark said: "On the day, Alexander was very well and enjoying the session.

"At approximately 11am, I went to the centre of the dome and spoke to Anita Lamprell, who was covering the day s session. Alex was standing right next to me.

"As I was talking, Alex wandered towards the back of dome where the activities were. I was watching him and talking to her. I asked her a question, said thank you, looked back and he was gone.

"I panicked and started to look for him. I looked in the play tunnels, but he wasn t there. I then went into the toilet because he liked playing with water."

Mothers and centre staff soon joined the frantic search for Alex.

Minutes later, Mrs Clark was told his body had been found in the lake by Margaret Irvine.

Detective Inspector Paul Williams said there was no conclusive evidence to say whether the doors were open or closed, but he believed the doors had been hooked open.

Parents had expressed concern to him that they were sometimes left open to allow access.

A full report on the inquest can be found in the Gazette, November 1.