Mum ‘not told toddler missing for three hours’

BOY, TWO, WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF HIS PRE-SCHOOL

A mum is furious after her toddler escaped from his pre-school and was found by police in a park after a tip-off from a dog-walker.

Rheanne Bell, 28, said Woodlands Nursery and Pre-school, in High Street, Earl Shilton, failed to inform her that her son Raffi, two, had gone missing until he was found almost three hours later.

Raffi reportedly escaped through a hole in the nursery’s garden on Tuesday last week, crossed the road and walked half-a-mile to Wood Street Park, where a dog-walker informed the police.

She said: “I received a phone call from the pre-school at 12.15pm to say that he had escaped. I was at home, luckily, as an appointment was cancelled. I was in pure panic mode. I couldn’t stop screaming. They hadn’t mentioned on the phone that he had been found, so I was in bits the whole way there.

“As I pulled up, I saw the police cars and went straight into panic mode. I asked where my son was, but officers calmed me down and told me he had been found.”

Officers at the scene took Rheanne home and informed her a dog walker noticed Raffi at the park shortly before 9.45am.

She was told they “observed” Raffi for 30 minutes before realising he was alone and contacted the authorities. A police spokesman said: “At 10.15am on Tuesday, police were called by a member of the public stating they had found a little boy, on his own, in a park in Earl Shilton.

“The boy was safeguarded by police and it was found he was missing from a nearby nursery.

“Inquiries were carried out officers and the matter has been referred to Ofsted.”

Rheanne said although the nursery has apologised, she has not heard from it since with “any type of explanation”.

She said: “I don’t think they understand the severity of the situation. “The police didn’t know where Raffi had come from until they made inquiries.

“It was noon before they came across Woodlands – that’s almost three hours that he had been gone and I hadn’t been told. “The dog walker had to intervene because he was running back down the main road. “I feel as though he had a narrow escape. It just doesn’t bear thinking about.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. “Now we are feeling much better grateful and thankful he’s okay.” Woodlands Nursery and Pre-school was contacted but staff declined to comment.

I was in pure panic mode. I couldn’t stop screaming. They hadn’t mentioned he had been found Rheanne Bell