Inquiry told of child death fall

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/8460403.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A fatal accident inquiry has heard how a mother saw her 21-month-old son fall 20ft through glass panelling after she had been at a meeting at work.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard Ben McCreath had run on ahead of his mother Louise at the offices of law firm Ledingham Chalmers in February 2006.

The toddler fell through a gap on the balcony down to the foyer. He suffered head injuries and died later that day.

The inquiry is expected to last about eight weeks.

Mrs McCreath, who was then 29-year-old receptionist at the law firm, had been at a meeting to discuss a redundancy package.

Fiscal depute Angie Main read a statement to the court from Mrs McCreath.

She said: "Ben just took off, I saw him playing with the handles on the opposite side of the balcony, they were locked as there was renovation work going on at that time.

"I did not realise at the exit doors to the first landing there was a small gap between the doors and the glass panelling that runs along.

"I saw Ben fall through it, it's a drop of about 20ft."

Mrs McCreath said she could hear her son crying and he was slipping in and out of consciousness."

Witness Mark McPhilips, 47, an architect who had been involved in designing the building, said the office had been designed to look nice and children had not been considered.