Bronson Battersby: Father and Son Found Dead in Skegness Home, Rapid Review

Background

A two-year-old boy named Bronson Battersby and his 60-year-old father Kenneth Battersby were found dead at a property in Skegness, Lincolnshire on January 9th, prompting Lincolnshire County Council to launch a “rapid review”. It is believed that Bronson starved to death after his father Kenneth suffered a fatal heart attack.

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Social Worker Contact

A social worker had contact with Kenneth Battersby on December 27th and a home visit was arranged for January 2nd. On this date, the social worker was unable to get a response at the door and tried locating Bronson at other addresses, eventually speaking to her manager and police. Two more attempted visits were made on January 4th and January 9th, with the social worker alerting the landlord on the final attempt after again being unable to gain entry.

Review Launched and Next Steps

Lincolnshire County Council executive director of children’s services Heather Sandy described the deaths as “devasting” and confirmed a rapid review of the involvement of various agencies would be conducted over approximately 15 days. The findings would then be passed to a national panel to determine the appropriate next steps, such as a potential national review or requests for further information.

Neighbor and Landlord React

A neighbor described Bronson as a “gorgeous, happy little boy” and that “his dad was his best friend”. Landlady Maria Clifton-Plaice said she was “just heartbroken” finding Kenneth’s body and that Bronson had recently started staying with his father, who she believed was Bronson’s “chance to be a good dad”.

Scene in Skegness

BBC Look North reporter Crispin Rolfe describes the scene in Prince Alfred Avenue in Skegness, near where the bodies were discovered. Many neighbors spoke fondly of Kenneth and were upset by the news. One friend said Bronson’s needs were met and called it “a series of unfortunate events”.

Political Reaction and Police Response

Labor leader Keir Starmer said he was “saddened” by their deaths. Lincolnshire Police said they were not treating the deaths as suspicious but had referred themselves to the IOPC as standard procedure.