Portsmouth balcony plunge girl's mum regrets 'biggest mistake' over death

The mum of an eight-year-old girl who plunged to her death from her sixth-floor flat today said letting her daughter play on the balcony was the “biggest mistake” of her life.

Minnie Rae Dunn, who lived with her grandmother, had been visiting the home of her mother, Rebecca Dunn, in Pickwick House, Wingfield Street, , Hampshire, when she suffered the fatal fall some time after 6pm on August 24 2023. An in Portsmouth was today told that the balcony was “cluttered” with about eight bin bags containing old clothes and a cushioned pouffe chair when Minnie-Rae had gone out to play on it with another girl.

Giving evidence, Ms Dunn described her daughter as “sassy” and a “good kid” and said that she would sometimes go on to the balcony when she visited. She said: “Sometimes I let them paint out there because I had carpets and it’s messy.” The inquest was told that the balcony had a brick-wall about a metre high with anti-pigeon netting above.

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Ms Dunn said that the pouffe was normally against the window but had been moved against the wall by someone who had gone out for a cigarette. She added that she initially refused to let her daughter and the girl go on to the balcony that day. She said: “She did ask to go out, I did say no at first but they got slime all over the bed. I am a sucker for her eyes and ended up giving in and that was the biggest mistake of my life.”

Ms Dunn admitted that she had smoked cannabis earlier in the day and at about 5pm and the inquest heard that she told police that it did not make her “drowsy” but made her “calm”. She told the hearing: “I did it for my mental health, it’s not like I smoked it all day.”

Coroner Jason Pegg asked her: “Do you think it impacted on your ability to look after Minnie Rae?” to which she answered: “No.” Ms Dunn added that she had not been able to “grieve yet” for her daughter and said that she was an “emotional mess”. The inquest was told that the other girl told police that she had attempted to grab Minnie Rae as she fell and said: “I couldn’t hold on, my hand slipped off as she was moving really fast.”

Mr Pegg told the hearing that a neighbour reported seeing Minnie Rae standing up on something before the fall. The coroner said that an air ambulance was scrambled to the scene but attempts by medics to save Minnie Rae’s life were unsuccessful and a post mortem found she died of multiple injuries. Describing Minnie Rae, her grandmother Dorothy Kenney told the hearing: “She was happy, she loved her family, she loved her school and her friends, she just liked to go out playing, going to different places on holiday.”

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Mr Pegg said: “This was a desperately dreadful and tragic accident.” He added: “I am going to record that Minnie Rae had been playing on the balcony and in that time elevated herself on an object which had been left on the balcony causing Minnie Rae to fall over the balcony wall.”

Paying tribute to Minnie, Ms Dunn said in a statement previously released through police: “My angel, I am going to miss your sassiness and the way you spoke your mind. Your big bright smile that always melted my heart will be missed so much. I have a hole shape in my heart that will always be there. My little angel fly high, I love you to the moon and back. Mummy.”

Hampshire Constabulary previously confirmed that a 43-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of neglect was released without charge.