'Why weren't we allowed to ask why our baby was crushed to death by a lamppost?' Family's fury at coroner who banned their questions

  • Kate and Christopher Hollis accused coroner of 'compounding' their grief
  • Tommy Hollis died a day before his first birthday in February, 2010
  • Lamppost toppled over and killed baby who was being taken to a coffee shop by his nanny
  • Engineer Kevin Elmore told inquest he wished he could 'take the child's place' after learning of his role in the tragedy

Statement: Kate and Christopher Hollis accusing a coroner of 'compounding' their grief by banning their lawyer from asking key questions

Statement: Kate and Christopher Hollis accusing a coroner of 'compounding' their grief by banning their lawyer from asking key questions

The parents of a baby killed by a falling lamppost spoke of their fury yesterday after a coroner ordered a jury to rule his death was an accident.

Kate and Christopher Hollis accused her of 'compounding' their grief by banning their lawyer from asking key questions.

Tommy Hollis suffered fatal head injuries when the lamppost fell on to his pushchair five days after a workman cut through a supporting metal plate.

He died in hospital 48 hours later, on the eve of his first birthday.

Mr and Mrs Hollis said they felt 'let down' by coroner Elizabeth Pygott, who they said refused to let their lawyer call witnesses from the council involved or question the workman.

They had asked the coroner to give the jury the option of returning a verdict of unlawful killing, or an open verdict.

But Mrs Pygott said the jury could only return a verdict of accidental death because there was not enough evidence to support anything else.

Outside the inquest, Mrs Hollis, 40, a senior lawyer at finance firm GE Capital, said: 'We came here knowing it would be an extremely challenging time for us.

'However, we did not expect our upset and anguish to be compounded by what we feel was the coroner’s decision to exclude from consideration questions and evidence that might lead us to better understand how our son, Tommy, was killed.

Portrait: Mr Hollis and his wife Chris with their son Thomas who was killed by a lamppost which fell on top of his pram after its foundations were inadvertently severed

Portrait: Mr Hollis and his wife Chris with their son Thomas who was killed by a lamppost which fell on top of his pram after its foundations were inadvertently severed

Tommy Hollis with his mother Kate
Tommy Hollis with his father Chris

Happy family: Tommy laughs during a photo shoot with his mother, Kate, and father, Chris

'We feel let down that crucial witnesses were not called or declined to answer questions.'

Mr Hollis, 42, a pilot, and his wife, who live in Chiswick, had a second son, Jack, born last September.

Their lawyer Sally Moore, from law firm Leigh Day & Co, said the couple would launch legal action against those responsible for Tommy’s death.

She claimed the inquest had missed questions including why no ‘qualified engineer’ was supervising the workman.

The inquest heard workers were under pressure from the local council, the London Borough of Hounslow, to complete a road-widening project in Chiswick, West London, before voting began for the 2010 general election at the nearby town hall.

Hit: Nanny Mary Gregory lies behind Tommy's buggy in Chiswick, West London

Tragedy: Nanny Mary Gregory lies behind Tommy's buggy in Chiswick, West London

A police officer removes the pram from the scene: Anna Martin said she was wheeling the sleeping toddler past roadworks when she heard a 'hollow' noise followed by a 'terrible scream'

A police officer removes the pram from the scene: Anna Martin said she was wheeling the sleeping toddler past roadworks when she heard a 'hollow' noise followed by a 'terrible scream'

Kevin Elmore admitted cutting the plate and was found guilty of gross misconduct by his employer, construction firm McNicholas, and given a written warning.

He told police: 'If I could take the place of that child, then I would.'

Tommy was struck by the lamppost while his nanny Anna Martin waited to cross the road at traffic lights.

Mary Gregory, 62, was also hit as she pushed her granddaughter Poppy in a pram next to Tommy.

But Mrs Pygott said she would not invoke her powers to issue recommendations that councils should check the safety of lampposts because it would be expensive and 'burdensome'.

She said: 'If I had thought there was any real evidence to support manslaughter or unlawful killing as a reasonable verdict, I would have felt obliged to refer it back to the Crown Prosecution Service or the police, and I don’t think that’s the case.'

She told the jury: 'The only conclusion I am in fact going to leave to you is that of accidental death.

'The issue of statutory liability for health and safety matters is not for this court and I do not consider that there is any evidence of a gross error that could give rise to any other conclusion, be it neglect, negligence or indeed unlawful killing.'

But she left the door open for the family to launch civil action over the death.

Respect: A couple look at flowers laid at the scene. Miss martin tried to revive the little boy with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but he never regained consciousness

Respect: A couple look at flowers laid at the scene. Nanny Miss Martin tried to revive the little boy with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but he never regained consciousness

A London Borough of Hounslow spokesman said: 'We would never compromise safety by placing pressure on council officers or contractors to rush to complete work.'

This is not the first time Mrs Pygott has faced criticism over a ruling.

In November 2005, she ruled that Jessica Palmer, 34, who was killed by a blood infection days after giving birth, died from natural causes.

This was despite a midwife’s admission that at least one 'gross mistake' was made in the mother’s treatment.

And in 2003 she came under fire for holding the inquest of Holby City actress Laura Sadler, who plunged 40ft from a balcony after a drugs and drinks binge, without listing it so the public and press could attend, as is standard practice.

She later said this was an oversight. 

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