Man did not rescue child for fear of 'pervert' slur

ALEX CORNELIUS

A BRICKLAYER who passed a toddler walking alone in a village shortly before her fatal fall into a pond said yesterday he did not stop to help in case people thought he was trying to abduct her.

Clive Peachey, from Cornwall, told an inquest jury in Stratford-upon-Avon that he had passed two-year-old girl, Abby Rae, in his van shortly after 10am on 28 November, 2002.

This was just moments after the toddler disappeared from the Ready Teddy Go nursery in the Warwickshire village of Lower Brailes, according to staff.

Abby was found an hour later in an algae-covered garden pond and rescued by her mother, Victoria Rae.

She was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital by air ambulance but was pronounced dead.

Mr Peachey, of Liskeard, told the inquest he had passed the little girl as she tottered towards the road in High Street.

He said: "I kept thinking I should go back. The reason I didn't go back was because I thought people might think I was trying to abduct her.

"I was convinced her parents were driving around and had found her."

Mrs Rae, 36, wept as Mr Peachey gave his evidence to the packed hearing.

She had earlier read emotionally from a statement as she relived the moment she dragged her daughter from the pond.

Two nursery employees had gone into the garden during their search but told the inquest they did not see the pond because it was covered in green vegetation.

The inquest was adjourned until today.

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=448552006

Boy this is a sad day.

That someone would be so concerned about the legal implications of reaching out to help another human being in distress, so they just drove past a toddler out and about unsupervised.

Sad.

BTW, I don't believe for a minute that the danger was so great that he would be accused of being a prevert if he had attempted to help this child. Clearly he had overblown the odds of this happening in his mind, probably listening to the nonsense of these men rights advocates exaggerating how often this actually happens today. Even a simple telephone call would have sufficed to let police know this child was unsupervised on the street. The 911 operator probably would have told him to follow the child until police arrived and ensure she didn't get hurt.

Back in the 60s I remember reading an article where the police were warning young people about picking up hitchhikers, how dangerous it was, you could get killed doing it, etc., and I remember a young man's response when they told him he could be putting his life in jeopardy to give a stranger a ride: Well he didn't want to live in a world anyway where he had to be so afraid of other people that he couldn't give a ride to another fellow human being.

I feel the same way about this situation.

I'll take my chances with the law before I'd turn my back on helping a child (or anybody really) in distress.

This story was a sad commentary on our times. Like a doctor listening to his insurance carrier at the scene of an accident and letting someone die. When someone calls out is there a doctor in the house ALL doctors are expected to respond, not just the ones who have affordable insurance rates.