Two-year-old boy drowns in swimming pool after wandering off as his parents attended engagement party.

By EMMA REYNOLDS

Last updated at 6:58 PM on 1st December 2011

A mother and father today told of their devastation after their two-year-old son wandered off from a family engagement party and drowned in a swimming pool.

Toddler Ryan Pearman was a beautiful, happy child, his distraught parents said after the inquest in Oxford.

The toddler, of St Albans in Hertfordshire, was found face down in the water and airlifted to hospital, but he died later that day.

Bride-to-be Jane Pearman told the coroner she screamed in horror when she found her cousin's son in a next-door neighbour's pool in Sonning Common, Oxfordshire.

His father Chris said the family were 'just as devastated as we were on that day. It is something we will never get over.'

Miss Pearson told the inquest she had been saying goodbye to guests when Mr Pearman had come to the front door and asked she had seen Ryan.

She said: 'I walked up into next door's garden and could see there was a pool of water on the top of the cover of the swimming pool, which had not been there when I had spoken to Margaret (the owner of the house) earlier in the day.

'I lifted up the cover about half a metre and saw Ryan. I must have shouted or screamed at that point. I went straight in and got him out.'

Her family rushed to join her and Ryan was given CPR until paramedics arrived.

The boy was found in the pool on Sunday July 31. He was airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford but could not be revived and was certified dead at 7.30pm.

The party of 40 adults and 10 children was hosted by Ryan's great-uncle and aunt, John and Diana Pearman, to celebrate their daughter Jane's engagement.

Ryan had been supervised throughout the day, his devastated father told the inquest.

The father of three agreed with coroner Nicholas Gardiner that it had been a case of 'both parents thinking the other was looking after him.'

He added: 'Ryan had been a few steps in front of me going into the garden and my wife thought he was with me.

'He was a very active youngster. He had played hide and seek and swing ball. The last time I saw him was with Ben (Ryan's brother), having a drink.'

The inquest heard Ryan wandered off when some of the family were playing cricket in a nearby field and other adults were inside the house.

We are just as devastated as we were on that day. It is something we will never get over. Ryan was a very happy child. He lived life to the full.
- CHRIS PEARMAN

Ryan had squeezed through some fence posts at the end of the garden and wandered up a country track to next door's house, the inquest was told.

The death was not being treated as suspicious, Detective Constable Rick Josey of Thames Valley Police told the coroner.

A post-mortem examination into Ryan's death showed he had drowned.

Dr Steve Gould told the inquest that the youngster had fluid on his lungs.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Gardiner said: 'The swimming pool proved irresistibly tempting for a two-year-old child.

'It was unfortunate the pool was unguarded.'

Mr Pearman and wife Siobhan described their son as a 'beautiful, happy, loving and funny little boy.'

They said: 'He was nearing his third birthday when he died. The middle of our three boys, he was always at the centre of everything that happened. He had the ability to always make us smile and we are so proud of him and miss him terribly.

'Until this tragic event we did not realise how dangerous some of the commonly used pool covers can be. Some pool covers give the impression of being solid - especially to a child - but in fact are not.

We hope that what happened to our much-loved son Ryan will draw attention to this so that other people learn from it and hopefully similar tragedies can be avoided in the future.

'The Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board will be including a message about swimming pool safety in the Safe in the Sun campaign they are running in the Spring.

'In memory of our son we will also be pushing for UK legislation to introduce safety measures, for instance fencing or child-safe pool covers for all in-ground pools.

'We do not want any other child to lose their life in this way.

'We would like to thank the staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital, and the Air Ambulance service who tried so hard to save Ryan's life.

'The Air Ambulance gave Ryan the best chance he had. As a family we are fundraising for the Hertfordshire and Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Services in support of their good work.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068746/Two-year-old-boy-drowns-swimming-pool-wandering-parents-attended-engagement-party.html#ixzz1fOCUuKVD