Mum says letting daughter, 8, play on balcony before she fell to death 'biggest mistake' of her life
An eight-year-old girl died after falling to her death from the sixth-floor balcony of her mother's home, an inquest has heard.
Minnie Rae Dunn, who lived with her grandmother, was at her mum Rebecca Dunn's home in Portmousth on August 23, 2023, when she suffered the fatal fall.
An inquest into Minnie Rae's death, held on Wednesday, heard the youngster had gone out to play on the 'cluttered' balcony, which had eight bin bags and a pouffe chair, with another girl.
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Giving evidence at the hearing, Ms Dunn said that she would sometimes go on to the balcony when she visited and described her daughter as 'sassy' and a 'good kid'.
The inquest was told that the balcony had a brick wall about a metre high with anti-pigeon netting above.
Ms Dunn said that the chair was normally against the window but had been moved against the wall by someone who had gone out for a cigarette.
She told the inquest that she initially refused to let her daughter and the girl go on to the balcony that day.
Ms Dunn added: 'She did ask to go out, I did say no at first but they got slime all over the bed. I am a sucker for her eyes and ended up giving in and that was the biggest mistake of my life.'
Ms Dunn admitted that she had smoked cannabis earlier in the day. The inquest heard that Ms Dunn told police that it did not make her 'drowsy' but made her 'calm'.
She told the hearing: 'I did it for my mental health, it's not like I smoked it all day.'
Coroner Jason Pegg asked Ms Dunn: 'Do you think it impacted on your ability to look after Minnie Rae?' to which she answered: 'No.'
Ms Dunn added that she had not been able to 'grieve yet' for her daughter and said that she was an 'emotional mess'.
The other girl told police that she had attempted to grab Minnie Rae as she fell and said: 'I couldn't hold on, my hand slipped off as she was moving really fast", the hearing heard.
The coroner told the inquest that a neighbour reported seeing Minnie Rae standing up on something before she fell. An air ambulance was called to the scene, but Minnie Rae sadly died from multiple injuries.
Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Mr Pegg said: 'This was a desperately dreadful and tragic accident.'
He added: 'I am going to record that Minnie Rae had been playing on the balcony and in that time elevated herself on an object which had been left on the balcony causing Minnie Rae to fall over the balcony wall.'
Paying tribute to Minnie, Ms Dunn said in a statement previously released through police: 'My angel, I am going to miss your sassiness and the way you spoke your mind.
'Your big bright smile that always melted my heart will be missed so much.
'I have a hole shape in my heart that will always be there. My little angel fly high, I love you to the moon and back. Mummy.'
Hampshire Constabulary previously confirmed that a 43-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of neglect was released without charge.
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