Investigation after autistic boy found alone in road

11 hours ago

Lynette HorsburghNorth West

A passing motorist spotted William and called police

Family photograph William, nine, has blond hair and is wearing a dark green Berghaus parka. He is holding toys including Mickey Mouse and Bullseye from Toy Story. He has a huge grin on his face and is standing on a path near some grass. — A passing motorist spotted William and called police

An investigation is under way after a nine-year-old autistic boy went missing from a sensory support group and was later found alone on a busy main road.

William, who is non-verbal, was spotted by a passing driver wandering in and out of traffic on Liverpool Road in Huyton, Merseyside, on Thursday.

The woman called police and, following house-to-house inquiries, officers established he had managed to run away from a holiday club run by the Moving Senses group nearby.

Knowsley Council said the matter had been referred to the local authority designated officer, whose job it is to manage matters surrounding safeguarding, and will now oversee a multi-agency investigation.

Moving Senses, which provides respite care for children with special needs and disabilities, previously told the BBC it had never lost a child from its site before.

William's mother Gemma said she was left "sick to the stomach" with worry.

"We got a call saying William has climbed over the fence - he got out, but don't worry because the police brought him back," she said.

She said she felt the matter was "played down" like it "wasn't a big incident".

Gemma said she thought her son William was safe at Moving Senses

Family photograph Close-up of Gemma with long brown hair pictured sitting on a dark green sofa with her son, William, nine, who has blond hair. They are both laughing. — Gemma said she thought her son William was safe at Moving Senses

Gemma described the woman who spotted William wandering into the road in front of the traffic then called police and stayed with him until officers arrived as "an angel".

"If he got hurt, he wouldn't have been able to tell anybody his name or even where he's hurting," she said.

Gemma said she went straight to the centre and collected William and took him home "where we know he is safe".

She said: "Trusting someone with one of the most precious things you have is really hard, especially when your child's vulnerable and has no voice.

"He loves trying to get through doors and stuff but I really thought that this was a good place where he was safe.

"These groups are so important to children with complex needs but they need to be 100% safe as the next child might not be so lucky."

Merseyside Police said any safeguarding matters would be handled by the council.

"We can confirm that officers carried out enquiries after a lost child was found by a member of the public in Huyton," a spokesman said.

"At around midday, a call was received from a woman who found the child.

"Officers conducted house-to-house enquiries to locate the child's parents, and it was established that the child had got out of a holiday club at a nearby location.

"Work is ongoing around any safeguarding issues, led by the local authority."

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