School ‘negligent’ after four-year-old boy leaves and makes one-mile journey by himself

6:34pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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A mother was distraught after her son went missing outside a Hendon school, only to be discovered by a passer-by as he was about to cross three lanes of traffic.

Angela Hall, 36, was late picking up four-year-old Romeo from St Joseph's Roman Catholic Infant School, in Watford Way, at 3.30pm last Friday, when she received a call from a teacher to say he had disappeared.

He had walked about a mile before being rescued by a member of the public half an hour later, next to the A41 by East Finchley resident Brian Foley, 29, who immediately telephoned police.

Another passer-by, who recognised Romeo, called the school and reunited him with his mother.

Mrs Hall, of Topaz Walk, Cricklewood, said she "never dreamed" the school could be so negligent.

She said: "How did he pass two teachers to get out? And why did they not phone the police when they phoned me? It is unbelievable.

"I was on the floor crying and screaming. I was in shock.

"I am definitely never taking him back there. I can't eat or sleep. I'm devastated. He could have been murdered, abducted, fallen on a railtrack, anything.

"It's negligent. I never dreamed they could treat him like this. I am going to take this all the way, because if this isn't dealt with in the proper way, something terrible will happen."

Mrs Hall called Mr Foley a "hero", but he was more humble.

He said: "Everyone seems to think I did something heroic, but I was just happy to be there.

"Actually, it was a bit scary for me, as I couldn't believe he was on his own, and he was about to walk into three lanes of traffic when I grabbed him.

"He must have walked at least a mile and God knows how many people he must have passed. It's really shocking."

St Joseph's headteacher Mary Parsons said an investigation was underway to find out the cause of the disappearance, but declined to comment further "to avoid prejudicing any future action taken by the governors of the school".