CHILDREN EMPLOYED TO MIND BABIES

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27309, 27 March 1954, Page 8

CHILDREN EMPLOYED TO MIND BABIES

Practice Condemned By Coroner

INQUEST INTO DEATH OF TWO BOYS IN PAPANUI FIRE

The practice of parents employing children as baby sitters while they go out at night was condemned by Mr E. B. E. Taylor, Coroner, yesterday when the inquest into the death of two young children who were fatally burned when their home caught fire in February was concluded. “The sad tragedy of the death of thes« two children, I hope, will be a lesson to those parents with young children who decline to accept the responsibility that is theirs,” said the Coroner.

“These deaths would not have occurred if either of their parents had been prepared to stay at home that night, or if they had made efficient arrangements to have their children looked after. To expect a child of 13 to baby sit until 10.45 p.m.—if indeed that was the arrangement, and I doubt very much if it was—is utterly unreasonable and I do not see that any real blame can be attached to the girl.

“It is regrettable, however, that children of this age are allowed even to assume the responsibilities placed on this child that evening. The failure of parental responsibility which was the cause of the deaths of these children is much more prevalent than the general public believe.

“During the years their children are young, parents have a duty to see they are properly looked after. They should accept this duty and, for the few years involved, Should be prepared to arrange their evening outings so that one parent is at home, or else provide suitable protection in the form of responsible baby sitters,” said the Coroner.

The inquest was into the deaths of Martin Wayne Brophy, aged three, ivho died on February 13, and Gregory Neil Brophy, aged two, who died on February 16. Martin Brophy was dead when brought from his blazing aome at 10 Wilmot street, Papanui. and Gregory Brophy died three days later in the Burwood Hospital. Mrs Edith Brophy said that on February 13 her husband left home about 4 p.m. to visit his brother and later he was to attend a picture theatre. She knew that he would return home about 10.45 o’clock that light. During the morning she made up her mind- to go to a dance in Christchurch and in the afternoon made arrangements for Colleen Carey, a neighbour’s child, aged 13, to look after the children while she was at the dance. She left home about 7.45 pjm., leaving the three children— Gregory, Martin, and David Brophy, aged five, in the house with the girl. She paid the girl 7s to stay with the children until 10.45 p.m. Mrs Brophy said she arrived home from the dance about 11 pan. to find the house had been damaged by fire and that - two of her sons had been burned. Some days previously a small fire occurred when some grass was burnt. This would have been caused by her throwing a lighted cigarette out of an upstairs window. To her knowledge the children did not play with matches. One of two children who had stayed at the house a few days before the fire had been responsible for lighting grass near a shed, and this fire was put out by a boarder. To the Coroner Mrs Brophy said she knew the girl was only 13 years old. The Coroner: And you expect a child of 13 to sit up with your children until 10.45 p.m.?—Yes, I did. She had never stayed till that time before. In the four months you have been in the house, how often did you have a baby-sitter in?—About once or twice a week. For one fairly long period, did Colleen baby-sit for you regularly.— Yes, because'l was working. You said that you did not know that your children were inclined to play with matches?—My children never played with matches. I will put it to you this way. You were never told your children played with matches?—They never did. And you have never been told that they did?—No. Father’s Evidence When he left to visit his brother, with whom he was going to the theatre that evening, his wife did not mention that she was going out that evening, said Eric Gregory Brophy, husband of the previous witness. His wife had gone out on previous. occasions and she had always obtained the services of Colleen Carey as a baby-sitter. “As far as I am concerned the children have never been left in the house without someone responsible being on hand to look after them,” he said. He knew there was a packet of wooden matches in a cupboard in the kitchen. There had been an occasion a few weeks before the fire when David had set fire to a heap of rubbish in the back section, said Brophy. He was given a thrashing for doing this. If he was at home any night and his wife wanted to go out, he always remained home to look after the children. Ever since they had lived in the house, witness said, he had noticed that the lights flickered. He had thought this strange, but he had never made any inquiries about it. The Coroner: Did your wife know that David had been given a thrashing for lighting fires?—l think she was unaware of it. Was that not something you would normally have told your wife?—Yes, it would have been. It was the first time as far as I knew that David had played with matches. William John Double said he once lived with the Brophy family. He remembered one occasion that the children had played with matches. At the time two other children from the neighbourhood were playing with the Brophy children, and they had obtained a box of matches from Mrs Brophy’s bedroom. A neighbour called out to him and he found the children had lit a fire in a heap of grass. He extinguished it. Gregory and Martin Brophy occupied one room. The Evening of the Fire She had gone to the Brophy home about 7 pun. on February 13 to mind the children, said Colleen Mary Carey. The children were in bed but not asleep. “Mrs Brophy told me to stay with the children until 9 p.m., as her husband would be home shortly after 9 pun., and that he would then look after the children,” she said. About 8 pun. her sister Betty, aged 9, arrived to stay with her," said witness. During the evening she went upstairs and had a look at the children. They were sound asleep. Her sister went upstairs to comb her hair, and when witness went up to get her she noticed a box of matches on the dressing table in Mrs Brophy’s bedroom. Later in the evening her father called at the house and took Betty home, said witness. Shortly afterwards she had returned and said she had been search--15?. the neighbourhood for their small! brother, Brian, who was missing. Shortly after this they left the Brophy heme, but just before she left she looked at the children. She spoke to David Brophy because, although he appeared to be asleep, she thought he was awake. Not long after she had returned to her home she heard a noise and discovered the Brophy home was on fire. At no time during the evening had she played with matches, said witness. There was no fire burning and she had not had an electric heater on. During the evening David woke up and camg' downstairs. He was given some ice cream and some lemonade and then he to bed. She did not see him wMh any matches.

if When Mrs Brophy took a position for j, a period of about four weeks during y Christmas, she looked after the chilli dren from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day s except Saturdays and Sundays, said g witness. For this service she was paid 1. £2 a week, s To the Coroner, witness said that during the evening she had listened n to a radiogram in the living room of e the house. It would not have been d possible for one of the children to come e downstairs without her seeing him, be- _ cause the door of the living room was t open all the time. How long did Mrs Brophy ask you to „ stay at the house?—Until 10, I think it “ was. o ,-Y 0U didn> ! stay quite as long as that. “ did you?—No. * ’ William Patrick Carey, father of the J previous witness, said Betty and Col--3 leen Carey returned home about 9.30 - p.m. He was still looking for his son '» about 9.40 p.m.. and did not see anyl. thing amiss at the Brophy home. e Neighbour’s Evidence Ruth Ethel Coppiestone said she = lived next door to the Brophy home. About three weeks before February 13 e she said she noticed a mat on fire in “ the front of the Brophy home. The 1 boys had been playing there for some s time, but she had not seem them actu--1 ally set fire to the mat. She called out e to the Brophys to put the fire out. On r the Tuesday before the fatal fire she F saw the boys in the back yard. David i had a bdk of matches. He was striking v them and throwing them into dried - grass. She called out to the boarder, a and he put the fire out. a About 8.45 p.m. on February 13 she was in an upstairs room, said witness, i when she saw David Brophy in the s kitchenette of his house, playing with a box of matches. “I saw him strike one i match, throw it on the floor, and then 3 walk away,” she said. She saw the B girl who had been baby-sitting leav- !. ing the house with another girl about i 9.15 p.m., and about 9.30 p.m. her huse band went outside and called to the e children to be quiet as by this time they were making a lot of noise and 1 appeared to be jumping about inside - the house. When he called out they quietened down. v About 10 p.m. he noticed a fire in 0 the house across the road from his i house, said Robert Henry Dasler. “I immediately went across the road to 4 the house as I knew there were child--1 ren in it. I went into one of the bedrooms upstairs, which is situated on 1 the south-west corner of the house, and on entering the room I saw a cot towards the door and I lifted the child •, from it. By this time a Mr Copplee stone was behind me and I handed 1 the child to him. I made another t attempt to get back into the bedroom, y but by this time the fire had too great - a hold and I could not see a thing or - get near it for the heat. At this stage s the fire was confined to the room, but y was starting to move through the i passageway. r “I went to another bedroom but " saw no one there,” said Dasler. “I * went downstairs and I heard some- = one screaming. I went back upstairs but because the fire had a good hold by this time I was unable to do any- , thing. I am of the opinion that the o fire started in the first bedroom I " went into,” he said. f Stairs on Fire s Evidence on his attempt to effect a - rescue was given by Reginald Pel- * ham Chibnail. He said he ran to the fire and when told there were childs ren in the house, ran into the house i and after looking in the downstairs i rooms, tried to get up the stairs. “The i stairs and the landing were afire and I could only get about half-way up,” v he said. “I came downstairs again and § tore a curtain from one window and s then got one of the men with a garden . hose to soak the curtain and my . clothes with water and I again tried g to get up the stairs. The fire had too 3 strong a hold and I was slightly burnt and had to retreat. e “I rushed outside the house and saw e a small ladder against the side of the . house.” said Chibnail. “I climbed the e ladder and tried to reach one of the e upstairs windows, but the ladder was e too short. A fireman then appeared - and I lifted him on to my shoulders, s The fireman passed a child through 3 the window to me,” he said. 3 The witness then asked leave of the " Court to make a statement. “When 1 the firemen arrived they did marvellous work. If, however, the firemen had had an asbestos suit on the engine e I think they could have got through 1 the flames. There seems little reason ■ why there should not be an asbestos ! suit carried on engines. The firemen ’ had no gloves on their hands, yet they broke windows with their hands c and got in over broken glass. I think they should have better equipment j than that,” he said. The Coroner said he would pass his t submissions on to the proper authori- _ ties. r Child on Mattress Stanley William Barnett, a fireman r attached to the St. Albans Fire - Station, said he entered the upstairs - room through a window. The walls of the bedroom were blazing. “I saw | in the corner of this room a mat- * tress on the floor, with blanket cover1 ings,” said Barnett. “I could not see j any person in the room. I lifted the blankets and then saw a boy crouched * under the coverings. I lifted him out 2 and he was unharmed and I passed 3 him out through the window to a man - on a ladder.” He could not find anyone ? else in the room. He attempted to get 1 through into another room through the =? wardrobe wall, but he was forced s back by the heat. 3 Evidence on having received a call 3 ' to the fire was given by Charles Henry . Robinson, deputy-chief fire officer to ’ the Christchurch Fire Board. When asked by the Coroner for his ,' comments on the witness Chibnall’s B • submissions, he said an asbestos suit ijwas too cumbersome. They had been | considered.