Derbyshire toddler drowned in paddling pool retrieving toy, inquest hears

Jameel Isam Abdulhameed was leaning over the side of the inflatable 60cm pool trying to retrieve an Action Man figure which had fallen in and fell in face-down.

His “hysterical” young mum Leanne Kirkham – who had left Jameel and his twin brother Jamal playing outside – had gone briefly into her kitchen when the tragic accident happened.

She frantically began CPR on the boy – however he was unresponsive and was pronounced dead later the same day June 2, 2021 at Derby Royal Hospital.

Coroner Sarah Huntbach said Jameel’s loss was “tragic”, adding: “It is always tragic when these accidents happen to a child doing what we can well understand that young children will do.

"It reminds us all of the dangers of young children near water – but this was a very tragic accident in all circumstances.”

In evidence read out the inquest at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court the boy’s mother – who has four other children – described how around mid-day on the day of the accident she was clearing away plates in the kitchen, having eaten a picnic with the two twin boys and their baby sister.

As she returned to the garden of her home on Nottingham Rooad, Alfreton, she saw Jamal “two metres” away from the pool and brother Jameel “face down” in the water.

While desperately doing chest compressions on the tot he began to vomit from his mouth as she shouted for help.

She then ran into the nearby Stop N Shop on Nottingham Road for help.

Owner Roginder Gill told the inquest she found Jameel lying on the floor covered in vomit with his “hysterical” mum crying “help, help” and shouting “Jameel”.

Ms Gill rolled the tot onto his side while rubbing his back to keep his airway clean and reported that the boy was still warm and bringing up vomit as paramedics arrived.

However medics could do nothing to save the boy and he was pronounced dead later that day in Hospital.

In a statement read out in court Jameel’s mum described him as a “happy, mischievous child”.

She said: “He was younger but he was the one in charge – he was lovely to his siblings and was such a loving boy.

"We will miss him so much – I don’t think we will ever get over what has happened.”

Police investigators concluded that, having seen an Action Man figure at the bottom of the paddling pool, Jameel had been trying to reach the toy and had toppled over the lip of the pool and become stuck there.

The inquest heard neither Jameel nor his twin brother ever entered the pool itself, but were known to throw their toys into the water.

Jameel’s cause of death was drowning – coroner Ms Huntbach concluded his death was a “tragic accident”.

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