Overview
- The child was seriously injured after ending up in a crocodile enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo on June 18 and was rescued by zoo staff and visitors before being airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
- His parents say he has had five surgeries so far and will need at least two more, including nerve reconstruction, and they are living at the hospital while he begins a long rehabilitation.
- Cambridgeshire Police arrested a 30-year-old man from Norfolk on suspicion of attempted murder; officers later assessed him as unfit for interview and released him on bail.
- Norfolk County Council has opened a Section 42-style safeguarding inquiry into the care provided to the man who was with carers on the outing, and a separate probe has been launched after around 40 people accessed the boy’s hospital records.
- A fundraising appeal has raised more than £25,000 to help the family with expenses, and the incident has prompted possible regulatory and safety reviews of the zoo and care arrangements.