A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a toddler was allegedly thrown into a crocodile enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon
The carers of a man accused of hurling a three-year-old boy into a zoo’s crocodile enclosure were reportedly “on their phones” earlier in the day. A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, on Thursday afternoon (June 18).
Cambridgeshire Police stated on Friday that the suspect had been “assessed as not being fit for interview”. He has been released on bail until 18 September.
The young boy, who didn’t know the man, is currently in a critical but stable condition at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, according to the police. It’s believed he was attacked by at least one crocodile after allegedly being tossed into the enclosure.
The police were alerted to the incident at the zoo at 1.24pm on Thursday by the ambulance service, who reported that a three-year-old boy had sustained serious injuries, reports the Mirror.
Zoo staff pulled the boy from the enclosure, the police said. Tracey Johnson, the wife of the zoo owner, reportedly leapt into the enclosure to save him.
The Sun reported that the suspect has learning difficulties and had been on an outing with his carers. A woman in her 20s told the newspaper: “I don’t know if it was definitely him but I saw one bloke of a bigger build. He had two carers with him and they weren’t paying him much attention.
“If it was him, his carers were maybe ten metres behind him and not paying much attention. They were English and chatting among themselves and on their phones.”
In a statement on social media, Johnsons announced that the Tropical House – the building where the crocodiles are housed – would remain shut until further notice “out of respect to the family”.
The zoo, nestled off a country lane in the village of Old Hurst, features a tea room, farm shop and steakhouse. It’s home to over 100 animals, including lions, tigers, sloth bears, capybaras and meerkats.
Mike Annicelli, 52, who resides near the zoo and has previously visited the crocodile enclosure, commented on the enclosure: “Everything is elevated, you’re far away from the animals.”
He mentioned there was a “raised platform” and estimated the crocodiles were about 15ft below, adding that there is fencing along the walkways which he estimated at around 4ft high.
Councillor Charlotte Lowe said: “This incident, I think it’s shocked an awful lot of people, especially the locals.”
#Croc #pit #suspects #carers #phones #boy #thrown #enclosure
