Childs park death inquest delayed for a year

The inquest in to the death of Alexia Walenkaki who died in a playground accident was at St Pancras Coroner’s court yesterday morning.

Alexia was playing on a rope swing with friends in Mile End Park, on July 17 2015 and suffered severe injuries when a tree with a rope swing attached collapsed on her July last year in Mile End Park. Alexia died in hospital less than two hours later, just a day before her sixth birthday.

The chief coroner for St Pancras and Poplar was Mary Hassell. She said it was wrong to take so long for an inquest to start, but she had no alternative, putting the case on hold until 2017 for further police inquiries.

John Biggs the Tower Hamlets mayor said: “The coroner has decided to adjourn the inquest to be able to consider findings of the joint investigation by the police and the Health & Safety Executive, when ready.”