The mother of a four-year-old boy who drowned on the Gold Coast has told a coronial inquest pool safety regulations need to be enforced to prevent another tragedy.
William Corben died in March when his life support was turned off in hospital.
He had been found drowning in his neighbour’s pool the month before.
Today his mother, Hayley Corben, broke down as she re-lived the tragedy at an inquest into his death.
She said her son was playing with other children in the street while she was in her garden.
The inquest heard the children at some point went into the house of Rod and Lisa Stewart directly across the road.
Ms Corben told the inquest Ms Stewart was aware William needed supervision as he could not swim, and that he had been pulled out of swimming lessons due to skin allergies.
Ms Corben said the next thing she heard Mr Stewart yell out to her, “‘Your boy’s drowned in my pool'”.
She said: “I ran through the house and saw that the other boys were wet and I started screaming, ‘Why were you in the pool? Who let you in the pool? I didn’t know that you were swimming’.
“I ran around and saw William, he was just in his underwear he didn’t have any swimming clothes.
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Because the media always tell the truth? Yes she made a fateful mistake that day letting her kids go to a neighbours house but the neighbours need to take responsibility too for not supervising kids in their care and propping the pool gate open.
She didn't know where her son was until it was too late. She basically cast her kid out into the street to "go play".
The actual truth. William and his brother were on a play date with the people across the road. The mother told the parents that the boys weren't allowed to go swimming. She knew they were at the house playing. William drowned because the pool fence was propped open and he wasn't supervised by the neighbours. It could happen to anyone! How many times have you left your children in the care of others thinking they would be cared for.
"She said her son was playing with other children in the street while she was in her garden."
They weren't on a play date. She said herself that they were playing in the street. If they were on a play date, she still should have been there to supervise her 4 year old son.