A couple who own the backyard pool where their neighbours’ four-year-old son drowned could face a possible criminal charge.
William Chase Corben was found floating face down in his neighbour’s pool at Pacific Pines on February 28 last year after a “lapse” in supervision.
A coronial inquest found Rodney Stewart had propped open the pool’s gate with a wooden block so he could move his lawn mower, The Courier Mail reports.
“In this case, submissions were made that there is sufficient information for me to refer the facts of this case to the [Director of Public Prosecutions] in relation to a possible offence…leaving a child under 12 unattended,” Mr Lock said in his findings.
“I agree the appropriate threshold has been reached to do so.”
He also added that he was planning to ask a Queensland Government committee to reconsider making it a criminal offence for intentionally breaching pool safety regulations where death or serious harm occurs.
He said William’s death was preventable and deemed propping open of pool gates as a dangerous habit that must be stamped out.
The inquest heard that there has been 13 deaths in backyard pools since 2013 and “all related to some extent” to the propping open of gates.
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