Toddler Joshua Wakeham Died After Being Entangled In Window Blind Cord, Inquest Hears

Toddler 'Died After Being Caught Up In Window Blind Cord'

A toddler who loved waving at people from his bedroom died when he became entangled in his window blind cord, an inquest heard today.

Joshua Wakeham, aged 22 months, was found by his horrified mother who went to check he was sleeping soundly after putting him to bed.

Tracey Ford, 34, was described as "too distressed" today to attend a brief inquest into her son's death in Newport, South Wales.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death after hearing evidence in the case.

Ford was living in Jackson Place, in the city's Maindee area, when tragedy struck on the evening of January 24.

Since then she and her partner, Tim Llewellin, 32, have campaigned to raise awareness of the dangers of blind cords.

The inquest today heard that Joshua was one of three children to die as a result of looped blind cords in January alone.

Reports in the national media have put the death toll across the UK over the last two years at 11 children.

Newport West MP Paul Flynn put forward an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons on Tuesday urging the Government to publicise the dangers of blind cords.

Details of the tragic moment when Ms Ford discovered what had happened were read out at the inquest today.

David Bowen, coroner for Gwent, read a statement that Ms Ford had previously given to police.

It explained that Joshua's bedroom was at the front of the house and his bed was alongside the window from where he used to wave to people.

After putting him to bed she ate a meal with her partner and looked in on her son at around 9pm.

"When my partner left I went to check on Joshua. I could see that Joshua was still up and it looked like he was looking out of the window," she said.

"I then saw that the cord of the blind was around his neck."

The statement added that she took him down and carried his body to her room and called the emergency services.

"He was very cold and his tummy felt bloated."

She said that she put the phone on speaker so she could be directed in how to resuscitate her son.

He was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, when paramedics arrived and was pronounced dead soon after arriving.

Mr Bowen also read a section from a post mortem into the child's death.

"Joshua died as a result of pressure on the neck which was consistent with being caused by entanglement in a curtain or blind cord of a domestic blind."

He went on to summarise the evidence before recording his own verdict.

He referred to when Ms Ford entered her son's bedroom, stating: "Almost immediately his mother realised that all was not well and the cord from the blind was wrapped around his neck."

He described Joshua as a "normal, healthy, inquisitive child who liked nothing better than standing at his bedroom window and waving at members of the public as they walked past".

He added: "He would stand at the window, it would appear, whether it was daytime or nighttime."

He concluded: "I am satisfied that while standing at the window Joshua somehow became entangled.

"He would never have recognised the danger that the cord posed. He would have been much too young and would also have been much too weak to release himself.

"The verdict in this tragic case, therefore, is accidental death."

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