Met Police child abuse squad investigate death of four-year-old

The Metropolitan Police’s child abuse squad are investing the death of a four-year-old boy in Southwark.

Officers were called to a flat in the south London borough yesterday evening. A four-year-old boy with stab injuries was found and pronounced dead at the scene.

The death is being investigated by the Child Abuse Investigation Command Major Investigation Team.

Three people were taken to hospital – a woman, aged 28, who was suffering a neck wound; a girl, aged 17 months, who was unhurt and a man aged 31 who was suffering serious stab wounds.

At statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “We know the identity of the dead child but not all next of kin have been notified at this stage. The woman has now been discharged from hospital. The little girl did not require any treatment.

“The man remains in a south London hospital. His condition is believed to be stable.”

It added: “At this stage, officers are looking into all the circumstances surrounding the child’s death. There have been no arrests and they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.”

The chief cxecutive of Southwark Council, Annie Shepperd, said: “Our responsibility is to immediately check our records to find out if the children were known to us so that we can provide any information to the police. The results of our initial investigations are that the children were not known to social workers within Southwark Council’s children’s services department. We will of course be supporting the police and offering our support to the family.”

Dates are awaited for a post mortem examination and an inquest.