A mother today told an inquest of the moment she discovered her five-year-old son dead at the bottom of a private swimming pool in Dorset during a summer birthday party.

Christine Grant, who has three other children with husband Raymond, told the jury inquest at Bournemouth Town Hall that she saw her son Callum curled up in a foetal position at the bottom of a swimming pool in the garden of family friends Gail Sharratt and John Hoeben.

Callum and brother Aiden, seven, had been guests at the belated seventh birthday party of Oliver Hoeben on July 19 last year, the inquest heard.

Mrs Grant had left her sons at the party at which five adults were supervising 12 children, all from Corpus Christi Catholic School in Boscombe, Bournemouth, just after 2pm.

'They were very excited and jumping around', she said.

Bournemouth Coroner Sheriff Payne told the jury it was a perfect day for the party at the house in Queen's Park Avenue, Bournemouth.

'It was a beautiful summer's day, the children were clearly enjoying themselves and having a fantastic time.'

When Mrs Grant returned just before 5pm to collect her sons, Aiden called out to her 'Where's Callum?' she told the inquest.

When it was quickly established that Callum was not indoors, Mrs Grant, of Hankinson Road, Bournemouth, said she went instinctively round to the pool.

She told the inquest: 'As soon as I knew he wasn't in the house something inside me said go to the pool.

'At that moment I walked round straight to the pool, there was nobody beside the pool and I looked into the pool and there at the bottom lying on his side was Callum.

'He was sort of in a sitting position but on his side, his arms were beside him, and no arm bands on.'

The inquest heard that Mr Hoeben and Ms Sharratt, as well an another adult, all attempted to resuscitate Callum before paramedics arrived and took him by ambulance to the Royal Bournemouth General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5.40pm.

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