Crocodile Attacker’s Carers Were 30-Feet Behind Him And On Their Phones When He ‘Threw Three-Year-Old boy Into Enclosure’

The 30-year-old man who was arrested for throwing a three-year-old child into a crocodile enclosure has severe learning disabilities and was at the zoo on a day out with his carers.

According to witnesses, the disabled man’s carers were ‘on their phones’ and ’30-feet behind him’ when he decided to pick the boy up and hurl him into the crocodile den.

The boy sustained critical injuries at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a zoo near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, following the incident on Thursday.

The boy was tossed over the 4ft safety fence separating an aerial walkway from the enclosure below, where he landed on concrete before rolling into water. Here’s the scene below:

He was attacked by at least one crocodile before zookeeper Tracey Johnson, who runs the zoo with her husband Andy, heroically jumped into the pit and pulled the child to safety.

The man with learning disabilities was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, but was bailed until September after being deemed unfit for interview.

A mum at the scene who described hearing a ‘loud scream’ told MailOnline: ‘Someone later described the man that did it and said he was with carers.

‘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. They were English and chatting among themselves and on their phones.’

The boy is still in a critical condition in hospital, with injuries said to include a broken arm and pelvis.

Cambridgeshire Police said: ‘A three-year-old boy from Cambridgeshire remains in Addenbrooke’s Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

‘A 30-year-old man from Norfolk, arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, has been released on bail while detectives from the Major Crimes Unit conduct further enquiries regarding this incident. 

‘The man, not known to the victim, was assessed as not being fit for interview.’

Very poor form by this man’s carers. We don’t know whether he had a history of violence or anything like that but as a vulnerable adult, they really should have their eyes on him at all times. Maybe he told them he wanted to feed the crocodiles and they were distracted googling the dietary requirements?

We’ll have to see to what extent these carers are held responsible – not to mention the man himself – but luckily the child survived the experience, albeit with awful injuries and the trauma that will remain.

The story is scarily reminiscent of that freak who threw a French tourist’s 6-year-old son off the 10th floor of the Tate Modern in London, completely at random.