An investigation has been initiated into the care of a man who was detained after a three-year-old boy was allegedly thrown into a zoo's crocodile enclosure. The suspect, a 30-year-old man from Norfolk, is reported to have learning difficulties and had been on an outing with carers at the time of the incident.
Incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst
Johnsons of Old Hurst in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, confirmed it had been "alerted to reports that a child had allegedly been thrown into one of our crocodile enclosures" on June 18. The boy's parents have been "living in hospital" since the incident, according to a family statement. The youngster has undergone five surgeries after being attacked by at least one crocodile and remains at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in a "stable condition," Cambridgeshire Police confirmed.
Arrest and Bail
The 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Police subsequently bailed the man and said he was "assessed as not being fit for interview." Emergency services were alerted to the zoo at 1.24pm on June 18 by the ambulance service following reports that a three-year-old boy had sustained serious injuries.
Section 42 Inquiry
Norfolk County Council, which did not provide any care for the man, confirmed that a Section 42 inquiry under the Care Act 2014 has commenced. A Section 42 inquiry is conducted when a council believes that an adult in its area has care and support needs, is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, and is unable to protect themselves due to those needs. A spokesperson for the council said: "The individual in question is not receiving any care provided, commissioned nor paid for by Norfolk County Council. We can confirm that a Section 42 inquiry is underway. We're unable to comment further on an ongoing inquiry."
Rescue and Family Statement
Tracey Johnson, the zoo's co-owner, reportedly leapt into the enclosure to rescue the child. The boy's family have confirmed he will require at least two further surgeries following the incident. In a statement on their GoFundMe page, they said: "We are extremely grateful for everyone's generosity. We could never thank you enough for the support you have given our family in this horrible time. We have been living at the hospital for 2 weeks now and our son has undergone 5 surgeries. At this moment in time we know that our son is to undergo at least two more surgeries, one of those surgeries being a nerve reconstruction in his arm. These last two weeks have been a very uncertain and unsettling time. This uncertainty remains as we still don't know the extent of his feeling, movement and function in both of his arms, wrists and hand."
