Death of boy hit by mirror an accident - inquest

The death of a five-year-old boy who was struck by a falling mirror in a department store was an accident, an inquest jury concluded.

Freddie Farrow died from a catastrophic brain injury sustained on 27 July 2021 when a mirror fell on him in Fenwick in Colchester, Essex.

After a five-day inquest at Essex Coroner's Court, the foreperson of the jury said: "The mirror was designed to be attached to a column and stand on the ground, and the ends had not been correctly installed."

"We are trying to live our lives as we know Freddie would have wanted us to, with love, kindness and with joy," said Freddie's mother Natasha Ingham, speaking after the hearing.

"As a family, we think about Freddie every day, and we remember him as he was, as a loving, caring and fun little boy who had his entire life in front of him.

"His loss has left a hole that can never, and will never, be filled."

Freddie was a pupil at Gosbecks Primary School in Colchester and had been due to start Year 2 in September.

Ms Ingham thanked Lee Compton, a Colchester police community support officer, who had tried to save Freddie.

"I know he did everything he possibly could… his actions may have given us the six days we had by Freddie's bedside to say goodbye."

She also thanked two off duty doctors, staff at Fenwicks and the emergency services including the Essex Air Ambulance.

"Their efforts gave us additional precious time with Freddie," she added.

At the end of the hearing in Chelmsford, senior coroner Lincoln Brookes asked the court to stand in silence in remembrance of the five-year-old.

He told Freddie's family the inquest was "never going to answer all of the questions" they might have, and offered them his "deepest condolences".

The mirror was in the High Street shop's lingerie department and was 2.6m (8ft 5in) high.

Freddie was in the shop with his mother and her friend and had touched the mirror "with very little force" before it toppled, the hearing was told.

He was taken to Colchester Hospital and then transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where he died on 2 August 2021.

The mirror, which was installed in 2016, was estimated to weigh about 80kg (176lb), temporary Det Ch Insp Michael Pannell had told the inquest.

David King, a health and safety executive investigator, told jurors it was unsecured and designed to be "virtually upright".

He said other mirrors at the shop were inspected after Freddie's death, and nine out of 14 were found to have "some form of distortion to their top fixing boxes".

During the inquest, Mr King agreed with a barrister representing Fenwick that the mirror had been "wrongly installed", adding it "wasn't safe".

The court also heard from Ian Francis, an operations manager at the shop.

He said the mirror was "very large and seemingly well engineered" and that he had not been made aware of any issues prior to the incident.

"Had I been made aware of any worries with the mirrors, I would have investigated and alerted my line manager of any issues," Mr Francis added.

Ch Supt Stuart Weaver, from Essex Police, said: "July 27, 2021, remains one of the most devastating days many officers in Colchester have had in policing.

"Freddie's death is a tragedy, and it is one which we will never forget."

Fenwick's executive deputy chairwoman, Mia Fenwick, said: "Our primary thoughts throughout this tragic accident have been for Freddie, his family and friends.

"We want to once again express our deepest sympathies to all involved.

"This has been an emotional and challenging time for everyone.

"The mirror appeared secure, but as the evidence at the inquest has established, it had been incorrectly and unsafely installed by the subcontractor when the store was refurbished.

"As a business, we continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that an accident like this can never happen again."

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