Four boys who fell into freezing Solihull lake died from drowning, inquest finds

19 December 2022, 10:01 | Updated: 19 December 2022, 10:25

The four boys who passed away after falling into a freezing cold lake in Solihull last week died from drowning, an inquest has found.

Finlay Butler, eight, and his younger brother Samuel, six, both died, alongside their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and another boy, Jack Johnson, 10, who rushed to help the trio.

The boys were pulled out of the water at Babbs Mill park near Birmingham on December 11.

They were in the water for more than 20 minutes after the emergency services were called for the first time, the inquest heard on Monday.

Three of the boys were pulled out after 22 minutes, with the fourth retrieved seven minutes later.

Birmingham and Solihull coroner Louise Hunt said the families of the boys had her sincere condolences, adding that it was a "devastating tragedy".

Ms Hunt said that it was difficult to understand the pain the relatives of the boys will be feeling.

The full inquest into all four deaths will take place in July.

It comes after three of the boys' parents paid tribute to the "beautiful" children.

They said: "As a family we are devastated at the loss of our beautiful boys Tom, Fin and Sam in such tragic circumstances.

"We would like to thank the emergency services for all they did in rescuing the boys and to the community for their support, it has been overwhelming.

"We would like to pass on our condolences to Jack’s family at this very sad time, and ask for privacy from the media to begin to grieve."

Thomas' older brother paid tribute to him and his cousin before Samuel died.

People of Solihul lay tributes in memory of children after tragedy

He said: "Thomas was such a lively little soul, he had a big heart for such a young kid and he was so beautiful.

"He loved being outside playing with his mates. I love you Tom, big bro will take care of the family and I will see you soon. Make sure you keep practising on [video game] Warzone and get a win, will you?"

"Can't forget about my dinosaur man Fin, he loved dinosaurs so much and always showing me new things he built on Minecraft and all the new stuff he learnt on it. Gonna miss you little man."

One of the boy's fathers, a student police officer, and a dog walker had entered the water in an attempt to save the children.

Birmingham City FC manager John Eustace lays wreath in memory of Solihull children after tragedy

An official fundraiser has now been set up for the families of the four boys, which has raised over £17,000.It is backed by the families involved, and a number of relatives have shared it online.

The page bio pays tribute to the 'four Little Princes', and adds: "No parent expects to lose their children so young, and sadly, no amount of money would ever place them back in our arms, but with our help, we can hopefully ease the worry of the financial costs they will need to meet."

There was a candlelit vigil for the boys on Monday night, with a second taking place this Saturday at 4pm.

Emergency services were first called to the scene at 2.36pm on Sunday, where it was reported that four children had been playing on the ice and fallen through into the lake.

Police officers and members of the public initially got into the water tried to get the children out, before the youngsters were reached by specialist firefighters trained for water rescue who got the group to safety.

Read more: Brothers, 6 and 8, and cousin, 11, killed alongside hero friend, 10, in frozen lake tragedy as families pay tribute

Read more: Fourth boy, aged six, dies after falling through frozen lake in Solihull

Those pulled out of the lake were given immediate life support and rushed to two hospitals; Birmingham Children's and Heartlands.

You can find the fundraiser for the families here.