Boy, 4, killed by falling gravestone
The boy, whose identity has not been made public, died on Saturday afternoon at Rawtenstall Cemetery, in Rawtenstall, Lancs.
Lancashire Police confirmed that the death was not being treated as 'suspicious' and said they would pass a file to the coroner's office 'in due course'.
Liz McInnes, a Labour councillor in Rossendale, said: 'This is a terrible tragedy – my heartfelt and deepest sympathies to the family of this poor boy – the whole of Rawtenstall is grieving.'
Andy MacNae, Labour MP for Rossendale & Darwen, said: 'My thoughts go out to the family and everyone affected by the tragic incident in Rawtenstall cemetery which has claimed the life of a four year old boy.'
Rossendale council said it was working to understand the circumstances of the incident.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: 'We were called to Rawtenstall Cemetery at 1pm on Saturday, following reports a gravestone had fallen onto a child.
'Tragically, and despite the best efforts of the emergency services, the boy sadly died.
'Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this devastating time.
'His death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be passed onto HM Coroner in due course.'
Tributes for the boy have been posted on social media.
One said: 'This is unbelievably sad, the child is the same age as my little boy and attended the same nursery my heart hurts for their family.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Moment sleeping driver who was exhausted after music festival ploughs into pedestrian and left him fighting for his life: Man, 27, jailed
This is the shocking moment a driver ploughed into a commuter and put him in a coma after falling asleep at the wheel. Abdelrahman Awadalla, 27, has been jailed after he dozed off and charged into project manager Martin Gartlan who was on his way to work at 7.30am in Victoria Road, Ealing, in August last year. Awadalla had spent the weekend at the Boomtown Music festival near Winchester, Hampshire smoking and drinking booze, Southwark Crown Court heard. It is said he was probably not under the influence but may have been sleep deprived when he was caught on CCTV accelerating towards Mr Gartlan. Mr Gartlan was left fighting for his life and suffers with life changing injuries, needing daily care following the horror crash. Awadalla can be seen zooming through the road out of nowhere as he hits the father who flies onto his bonnet - and injures another pedestrian along the way. Steven Molloy, prosecuting, said: 'The defendant was parked in a stationary position for at least 30 minutes from 7.30am onwards on the morning of August 13. 'Victoria Road was a busy street at that time, with numerous vehicles and pedestrians crossing in front of the defendant's vehicle. 'Martin Gartlan was on his way to work and CCTV footage shows him emerging at the side of the defendant's vehicle. Mr Gartlan later walked alongside, paused at the curb, before crossing Victoria road. 'Four seconds later, the defendant's black BMW suddenly accelerated towards the victim, colliding with Mr Gartlan. 'Mr Gartlan was propelled onto the bonnet of the vehicle,' said Mr Molloy. 'The defendant made no attempt to stop or slow down, and continued to drive his vehicle until it collided with two lamp posts and a tree. Mr Gartlan ended up on the floor close to the tree. 'He had just bought a coffee and was walking when the car came out of nowhere. 'The defendant's airbags were deployed, and the front of his car was crumpled. 'The defendant got out and stared at the victim, without saying or doing anything. He approached Mr Gartlan, and put something underneath his head. 'But the defendant then returns to his vehicle, turned off his car alarm, collected his belongings, and left the scene. 'He walked away along Victoria Road, despite members of the public trying to stop him.' CCTV footage played in court showed the horrific collision and members of the public rushing to help the victim. An air ambulance attended and Mr Gartlan was rushed to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, when his heart suddenly stopped, the court heard. Mr Gartlan was transferred to an intensive care unit and put on a ventilator. 'He suffered catastrophic injuries, including fractures to at least ten of his ribs, blood clots in his lungs, and a fracture to his right hip. 'After leaving hospital, Mr Gartlan was left in a wheelchair'. In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Gartlan said: 'I was placed in an induced coma for 10 days. 'I went through surgery, and it was only through the grace of God that I survived. 'During my time in hospital, my family were by my side. My daughter, who is a nurse, took weeks off work to help my recovery. 'I am unable to move around freely now, as I have blood clots in my lungs. I find it hard to sleep at night due to the pain and flashbacks. 'I have worked hard my whole life, and I can't understand why I couldn't just go to work safely that morning. 'Prior to this, I was a very active person. I played football with my work mates, and I often travelled abroad to meet up with friends. 'But now, these activities are heavily curtailed.' Imdadul Kader was also hit and suffered a badly bruised elbow. He said in his impact statement read in court: 'I saw the car crash into Mr Gartlan, and I saw him bleeding badly on the floor. 'Before the accident, I was a very talkative person. Now I feel like I've lost the joy inside me. 'I enjoyed London and studying here, but now I don't know how I will do these things as I have lost my confidence.' Wearing a black suit, Awadalla admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and assault causing actual bodily harm. Awadalla, of Acton, had 16 previous convictions for 31 offences including possessing an offensive weapon and assault by beating, the court heard. Kane Sharpe, defending, said Awadalla's actions were down to his lack of sleep rather than his use of alcohol and cannabis at the festival over the weekend. 'He didn't use it as a weapon, this wasn't a deliberate act. Whilst it is right he fled the scene having heard police sirens, he remained on the scene afterwards for around 6 minutes during which time he was seen trying to help Mr Gartlan. 'Although he fled, he later came back to the scene to see if Mr Gartlan was okay. He accepts complete responsibility.' Sentencing, Judge Sally-Ann Hales QC told Awadalla: 'On August 13, you fell asleep behind the wheel of your car. 'Your car suddenly accelerated at speed. Mr Gartlan was thrown onto the bonnet and was dragged as the car continued, before your car collided with two lamp posts and hit a tree. 'Mr Gartlan and Mr Kadar were in the wrong place at the wrong time. How it happened and why it happened remained something of a mystery until you admitted that you fell asleep. 'Mr Kader got away lightly. Nothing was broken but it was extremely painful. For him, the worst part was seeing how injured Martin Gartlan was. 'Mr Gartlan must have daily help for everyday activities which we take for granted. He has had to endure a very long period of pain which is nowhere near from over. 'You drove back from a festival with little sleep for days. You parked in a side road because you no doubt appreciated that you were not fit to drive. 'Because of the way the car was operated, it became a highly dangerous weapon.' Judge Sally-Ann Hales QC jailed Awadalla for 27 months and banned him from driving for three years.
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Promoting illegal channel crossings will FINALLY be made a crime
ONLINE clips glorifying channel crossings is to finally be made a crime, The Sun can reveal. Labour 's latest bid to stop small boats creates an offence specifically banning the promotion of illegal migration. The new law comes after we revealed videos of asylum seekers brazenly boasting of their taxpayer-funded hotels on TikTok. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is under growing pressure to slash boat numbers amid a record first half of the year. She is expected to make a last-minute amendment to her Borders Bill to crack down on the practice. The UK-wide offence would criminalise the creating, publishing or posting of online material that promotes or facilitates a breach of immigration law — such as Channel crossings. Smuggling gangs routinely advertise their warped services on social media. While facilitating illegal migration is already a crime, the threshold for prosecution for online advertising under existing laws is so high not one has ever been brought. It comes ahead of a high-stakes summit between Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron in London. The PM and French President are expected to agree a 'one in, one out' deal to return illegal migrants.
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Cops launch urgent CCTV appeal after girl, 15, ‘raped' near library in broad daylight
POLICE are trying to identify a man they want to speak to after a teenage girl was allegedly raped near a Surrey library. The 15-year-old was with a friend close to Chertsey Library when they were reportedly approached by two males on Friday, June 27. 1 One of the men is reported to have assaulted the girl at around 7pm. Surrey Police have released a photo of a man they are hoping to speak to in connection with the incident. In a post shared on Facebook, the force said: 'Can you help us identify the man in this image? 'We are looking to speak to him in connection with a report of rape in the area around #Chertsey Library at around 7pm on Friday, June,27. 'If you recognise him or have any information that could help us identify him, please get in touch quoting PR/45250077899.' Detective Sergeant Mihai Kerekes previosuly said: 'Incidents of this nature are extremely concerning, and we want to reassure the public that a full investigation is underway to identify the person involved. 'Should you have any information that can assist us in identifying the suspect, please contact us quoting PR/45250077899.' Anyone with details that could help is urged to come forward. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
