Mother says letting daughter on balcony before fatal fall was ‘biggest mistake’ of her life
Eight-year-old Minnie Rae Dunn died in a ‘tragic accident’
The mother of a girl who fell to her death from a sixth-floor balcony has told an inquest that letting her daughter play on it was the “biggest mistake” of her life.
Minnie Rae Dunn suffered the fatal fall some time after 6pm on 24 August, 2023.
The eight-year-old lived with her grandmother but had been visiting the home of her mother, Rebecca Dunn, in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
The inquest heard that the balcony was “cluttered”, with about eight bin bags containing old clothes and a cushioned pouffe chair, when Minnie Rae went out to play on it with another girl.
Ms Dunn, giving evidence, said that she sometimes let her daughter paint on the balcony so as not to mess up the carpet in the house.
The inquest was told that the balcony had a brick wall about a metre high with anti-pigeon netting above.
The pouffe was normally against the window but had been moved against the wall by someone who had gone out for a cigarette, Ms Dunn said.
She initially refused to let her daughter and the other girl go on to the balcony that day, the inquest heard.
“She did ask to go out, I did say no at first but they got slime all over the bed,” Ms Dunn said.
“I am a sucker for her eyes and ended up giving in and that was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Ms Dunn admitted that she had smoked cannabis earlier in the day and at about 5pm.
The inquest heard that she told police that it did not make her “drowsy” but made her “calm”.
She told the hearing: “I did it for my mental health, it’s not like I smoked it all day.”
Coroner Jason Pegg asked her: “Do you think it impacted on your ability to look after Minnie Rae?” to which she answered: “No.”
Ms Dunn added that she had not been able to “grieve yet” for her daughter and said that she was an “emotional mess”.
The inquest was told that the other girl told police that she had attempted to grab Minnie Rae as she fell and said: “I couldn’t hold on, my hand slipped off as she was moving really fast.”
Mr Pegg told the hearing that a neighbour reported seeing Minnie Rae standing up on something before the fall.
The coroner said that an air ambulance was scrambled to the scene but attempts by medics to save Minnie Rae’s life were unsuccessful and a post mortem found she died of multiple injuries.
Describing Minnie Rae, her grandmother Dorothy Kenney told the hearing: “She was happy, she loved her family, she loved her school and her friends, she just liked to go out playing, going to different places on holiday.”
Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Mr Pegg said: “This was a desperately dreadful and tragic accident.”
He added: “I am going to record that Minnie Rae had been playing on the balcony and in that time elevated herself on an object which had been left on the balcony causing Minnie Rae to fall over the balcony wall.”
Paying tribute to Minnie, Ms Dunn said in a statement previously released through police: “My angel, I am going to miss your sassiness and the way you spoke your mind.
“Your big bright smile that always melted my heart will be missed so much.”
Hampshire Constabulary previously confirmed that a 43-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of neglect was released without charge.