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Zane Gbangbola inquest: mother criticises 'abusive' police Zane Gbangbola inquest: mother warned not to return to home
(about 2 hours later)
The mother of a seven-year-old boy believed to have died after breathing toxic fumes during severe flooding in Surrey has criticised police for their “abusive” behaviour immediately after his death. The mother of a seven-year-old boy who is believed to have died after breathing toxic fumes at their home in Surrey during severe flooding was warned not to return to the property because cyanide gas had been found, an inquest has heard.
Nicole Lawler, 39, told an inquest that officers taking statements following the death of Zane Gbangbola were “removed from the case” after falling out with his father “about the disgusting way they spoke about our son’s body”. Just hours after Zane Gbangbola was pronounced dead in hospital, his mother, Nicole Lawler, was informed by medics that the “Health Protection Agency had identified small pockets of hydrogen cyanide at the home”, she read aloud from her medical notes.
Lawler told the coroner, Richard Travers, she also felt blackmailed by officers into giving a statement hours after Zane’s death, fearing that they would not keep her informed about the investigation if she failed to do so. She told the inquest into Zane’s death, a doctor had told her she was not allowed home, and continued reading aloud the entry: “We need to ensure that the patient does not return to her home.”
The inquest at Woking coroner’s court has heard that Zane was found lifeless in his bed at the family home in Chertsey, Surrey, in the early hours of 8 February 2014. His father, Kye Gbangbola, 50, remains paralysed from the waist down and in a wheelchair following the same incident. The inquest at Woking coroners court has heard that Zane died after being found unconscious in his bed at the family home in Chertsey, during winter flooding in the early hours of 8 February 2014. His father, Kye Gbangbola, 50, remains paralysed from the waist down and in a wheelchair following the same incident.
Travers has said the fact that the schoolboy died from inhaling toxic fumes is unlikely to be contested. His family believe deadly hydrogen cyanide gas seeped in to their home in floodwater from a nearby lake on a former landfill site. A competing theory is that he died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The coroner, Richard Travers, has said the schoolboy’s death from breathing toxic fumes is unlikely to be contested. The family believe hydrogen cyanide gas seeped into their home in floodwater from a nearby lake on a former landfill site. A competing theory is the child died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The family had been using electric pumps to pump rising water from the soil-floored flood basement at their Victorian home, but the day before Zane’s death they had hired a petrol-powered pump as a contingency in case they lost electricity. The family had been using electric pumps to remove water from their soil-floored basement, but had hired a petrol driven pump “as a contingency” and as “backup” in case they lost electricity, Lawler said.
Lawler repeatedly denied that the petrol pump had been used, and said it had only been started on several occasions on the morning of 7 February to set it up. She repeatedly denied that the petrol pump had been used, and said it had only been started on several occasions on the morning of 7 February to set it up and test it worked.
Chris Coltart, counsel for Surrey Hire and Sales Ltd, Addlestone, from which the pump was hired, said this account conflicted with those of some witnesses whom Lawler allegedly spoke to at the time. Chris Coltart, QC, counsel for Surrey Hire and Sales Ltd, Addlestone, from where the pump, was hired, said this account conflicted with police statements given by both parents and other witnesses Lawler had allegedly spoken to at the time of Zane’s death.
He said police statements made by Zane’s parents after their son’s death stated that the petrol pump had been used sporadically on that day. Coltart accused her of giving “a strained, and I’m afraid at time, untruthful account”.
Lawler agreed her husband had made his own statement after an argument with the police officers taking his. “I remember the falling out. It was about the disgusting way that they spoke about our son’s body. They were removed from the case. That was abusive behaviour by the police,” she said. When the pump was examined by health and safety officials, he said: “It looked for all the world that it had run out of petrol while in use. Is that what happened?”
She said of her own statement that was taken in hospital immediately after Zane had died: “That statement was taken when I had just lost my son.” “No,” replied Lawler.
She felt blackmailed and pressured into giving the police an immediate account so they would keep her informed about the investigation, “and I wanted to bury my son”, she said. Coltart said Zane’s parents, who were both environment engineers, had “vehemently” refused to accept carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause of death. Asked why, Lawler replied: “If we thought for one second your clients were responsible we would be pursuing it. But it’s not possible.”
Asked why she had not clarified that the petrol pump had not been used when she signed her statement six weeks later, she replied: “I was in shock on 8 February. Six weeks later I was more devastated because it had truly hit home.” Coltart said Lawler had been untruthful in giving her account: “For reasons we can entirely understand, you are desperate to distance yourself from the circumstances of your son’s death. I would suggest you are willing to do say or do anything to that end.”
At the time she was still sleeping on the floor of the hospital while her husband remained in the high-dependency unit, she said. Earlier Lawler accused police of abusive behaviour immediately after her son’s death.
Coltart said there was “a fundamental conflict of evidence” between Lawler’s account and that of his clients. Lawler said she had been told by sales staff it was safe to use the pump indoors as long as the windows were open. “My clients’ account is that you were told not to use the pump indoors,” he said. She told the inquest that the first officers who took the statements “were removed from the case” after falling out with her husband “about the disgusting way they spoke about our son’s body”.
She told the coroner she also felt blackmailed by officers into giving a statement just hours after Zane’s death for fear they would not keep her informed about the investigation if she failed to do so.
Lawler said her own statement was taken in hospital immediately after Zane had died on 8 February 2014. “That statement was taken when I had just lost my son,” she said.
Asked why she had not clarified the petrol pump was not used first when she made her statement on the day of Zane’s death and six weeks later when she signed it, she said: “I was in shock on 8 February. Six weeks later, I was more devastated because it had truly hit home.” She added that she was still sleeping on the floor of the hospital while her husband remained in the high dependency unit,.
Coltart said there was “a fundamental conflict of evidence” between Lawler’s account and that of his clients. Lawler said she had been told by sales staff it was safe to use the petrol pump indoors as long as the windows were open. “My clients account is that you were told not to use the pump indoors,” said Coltart.
In questioning her, he said: “I want you to understand, I do not seek to undermine or question the fact that you are an excellent and doting mother to your child.”In questioning her, he said: “I want you to understand, I do not seek to undermine or question the fact that you are an excellent and doting mother to your child.”
The inquest continues.The inquest continues.