What do you think led up to the 2 year old toddler and his dad landing in the channel?

Question

I don't recall any bad storms or anything. What do you think happened?

Coastguards are searching for a man whose toddler son died in hospital after being found floating in the English Channel.

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Police have named the missing father as 50-year-old Alan Watkins, from London.

A yacht crew found the little boy floating in the sea off the coast of Littlehampton, West Sussex, at 6.50pm yesterday.

The two-year-old may have been in a dinghy which was reported empty moments earlier.

Police said Mr Watkins and his son were reported missing by his Asian wife last night, and a caravanette registered to him was found in Sea Road, Littlehampton.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Hibbert, of Sussex Police, said the domestic background would be a line of inquiry for his investigating team.

He said, contrary to earlier reports, that the boy, who has not been formally identified, was not wearing any buoyancy aid but had on a sunblock suit.

In the dinghy were provisions including nappies, refreshments, a child's armbands and clothes.

Det Ch Insp Hibbert said: "What we are dealing with is the tragic loss of a two-year-old life. It's incumbent upon me and my investigating team to establish the circumstances.

"The domestic situation is something that's part of our inquiries. I'm not prepared to go into the finite details of that."

Mr Watkins' wife has yet to be fully questioned about the circumstances leading up to last night's incident.

Det Ch Insp Hibbert said: "We have had to deliver a terrible piece of news to the boy's mum last night and she is having to deal with that.

"At this moment in time, it would be wrong of us to run in and ask her so many questions so quickly in the light of the information she has received."

Answer 1

If there is no foul play, then what the hell was the father doing with a 2 year old out in the sea in a dingy.

Anyone who has children or experience with children will know that to do something like that with a 2 year old would be an absolute nightmare unless there were two adults, one to look after the child the other to row the dingy.

If this is a tragic accident, then yet another case of neglect and stupidity on behalf of the parent.

If the father did this on purpose, then how utterly sick and discusting.

Either way, the father's behavious is inexusable.

Answer 2

I read this and was devastated , about 8 years ago a similar dad and son were trapped by a tide and died of drowning. I have never been able to forget this .Water is dangerous

Answer 3

Its very easy for these beach craft to get washed out to sea.

The dad probably realised he was in difficulties and tried to swim back possibly towing the raft with the little one in.

The fact that he left his personal belongings in the raft meant he knew he was going for a swim.

Looks like his difficulties became too much and he didn't make it, and the little one fell out.

Answer 4

They were probably tossed out of the inflatable dinghy by the wash of a passing vessel.

Answer 5

could it have been a larger boat going past really fast and not seeing them. The wake of a boat can be as rough as a storm sometines.

Answer 6

its easy for a large boat to capsize a smaller dinghy without anyone seeing it happen

Answer 7

Perhaps the father was drunk, what was a simple day out went sadly wrong.

Answer 8

That's an odd one innit ? This morning i heard on the news that the child was wearing a life jacket now they say he wasn't !!! Makes me wonder if it wasn't an accident......

Answer 9

Sounds like he had a fight with his wife and perhaps acted on spite ending up with the child and probably him dead.

Answer 10

very sad i dont know what went wrong but it is so sad that the little boy lost his life.