A SOUTHAMPTON toddler drowned in a lake after being left unsupervised by his autistic cousin, an inquest was told.

Greyson Birch was on an afternoon out with Lewis Birch, 18, when he fell off a jetty at Swanwick Nature Reserve in May 2021.

Mr Birch went to urinate in nearby bushes and returned to find the toddler had fallen in.

But he failed to save Greyson, despite having Googled "what to do if a child falls into water" a short time earlier, the inquest heard.

Mr Birch "refused" to enter the lake, later telling everyone he was afraid of water, and made an unsuccessful attempt to grab hold of Greyson before calling the emergency services.

READ MORE: Man arrested following the death of Greyson Birch released with no further action

A firefighter jumped into the lake and handed Greyson to someone on the shore. He was given CPR and adrenalin but died in hospital a few days later.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) ruled there was insufficient evidence to charge Mr Birch with manslaughter or neglect - a decision that has angered his mother Kirsty, 32.

Area coroner Rosamund Rodes-Kemp described it as a "preventable" death.

She added: "If he had not taken him so close to the water, if he hadn't taken his eyes off him, and he'd been able to go into the water, little Greyson would still be with us today."

Ms Rhodes-Kemp said Mr Birch had taken Greyson out for the afternoon "with a vague plan".

"For whatever reason, he decided to take him to Swanwick Lake and they went on to a pontoon. Unfortunately, Lewis decides to relieve himself and goes away. At that point Greyson ends up in the water.

"We will never know the precise circumstances. There are no CCTV cameras and no witnesses.

"The emergency services did their very best to save him but sadly those efforts were not successful. During his immersion in the water Greyson suffered a massive lack of oxygen to his brain."

Det Con Jackie Foley interviewed Mr Birch and said he repeatedly denied doing anything wrong.

She added: "We couldn't prove that Lewis had wilfully neglected Greyson. There was nothing from witnesses, nothing from his phone and nothing from his interview."

Ms Rhodes-Kemp, said: "He had no perception of the risk of leaving a child, even for a second."

Referring to his decision not to enter the lake she added: "He did not attempt to save him, apparently for fear of water and not being able to swim."

She recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

Outside the court, Kirsty Birch, Worcester Place, Southampton, said she had decided to challenge the CPS's decision not to charge Mr Birch.

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