UPDATED: Murder probe launched after girl, 3, pulled from pool dies

Police are today continuing their investigations following the death of a young girl who was pulled out of a swimming pool at a St Annes hotel.
Police outside the Dalmeny HotelPolice outside the Dalmeny Hotel
Police outside the Dalmeny Hotel

The three-year-old, who has not been named, was rushed to hospital but died yesterday evening.

A woman was arrested on suspicion of murder and child neglect but on Friday night was bailed until November 15 pending further inquiries.

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Officers were called by paramedics to the Dalmeny hotel, on South Promenade, at around 11am yesterday, following reports a child had got into difficulties in the swimming pool.

Det Insp Nick Connaughton, of Blackpool CID, said: “This is a tragic situation where a young girl has lost her fight for life following an incident at a swimming pool in a hotel in St Annes.

“We are now treating this sad death as suspicious and are investigating just how the child has come into difficulties in the pool.”

The girl, who is from Galashiels, in Scotland, was rescued from the water by a member of the public who jumped into the water to help, accompanied by a member of staff from the hotel. She was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

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She was later transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where her condition was initially described as critical.

But despite attempts to save her life the youngster died at around 8pm.

The cause of death and details of the incident have, at this stage, not been revealed by police.

Officers were last night working to inform the girl’s family of her death.

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A Home Office post-mortem examination will take place in due course to establish the cause of death.

Det Chief Insp Dean Holden, from Lancashire Police, said: “We are treating this tragic incident as an unexplained death and are continuing to investigate just how the child has come into difficulties in the pool.

“Our thoughts remain with the child’s family at this sad time.”

On Friday, a 40-year-old woman, also from Galashiels, was released on bail having been arrested on suspicion of murder and child neglect.

Nobody from the Dalmeny was available for comment.

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Trained lifeguard Carole Greenwood, 52, pulled the three-year-old girl from the seven foot deep water before performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in front of her two-year-old grandson Riley.

Ms Greenwood, from St Leonards Road, St Annes, was walking from the changing rooms at the resort’s Dalmeny Hotel with Riley when she saw the girl at the bottom of the pool.

To read her story see Saturday’s Gazette.