Tragedy struck when eight year old Minnie Rae Dunn plunged to her death from the sixth-floor balcony of her mother’s flat while out playing with a friend. The inquest into the incident, which occurred at 6pm on August 24, 2023, was told that Minnie Rae was visiting her mother Rebecca Dunn’s Portsmouth home, despite usually living with her grandmother.
The court heard how the balcony, described as “cluttered”, had eight bin bags filled with old clothes present during Minnie Rae’s visit. The balcony itself is said to have a metre-high brick wall topped with anti-pigeon netting, reports The Express.
Rebecca Dunn, while testifying, spoke fondly of her daughter, calling her “sassy” and a “good kid”, noting that Minnie Rae would sometimes access the balcony during visits.
Rebecca Dunn recounted to the inquest that a cushioned pouffe chair, normally situated on the balcony, had been moved by someone stepping out for a cigarette. She initially forbade her daughter and another child from going onto the balcony that day but eventually relented, a decision she now calls “the biggest mistake of [her] life”.
The inquest also heard that on the day of the fatal accident, Minnie Rae’s mother had consumed cannabis, which she claimed helped her remain “calm” and “drowsy” and was part of managing her “did it for [her] mental health”. When questioned by Coroner Jason Pegg about whether her cannabis use affected her caregiving, Ms Dunn responded with a definitive “No.”
Ms Dunn confessed that she hadn’t been able to mourn her daughter properly, describing herself as an “emotional mess”.
The inquest heard that another girl on the balcony had tried to catch the eight year old as she fell. She recounted to the police: “I couldn’t hold on, my hand slipped off as she was moving really fast.”. Mr Pegg mentioned that a neighbour had seen Minnie Rae standing on something before her fall.
The coroner ruled the incident as an accidental death, stating: “This was a desperately dreadful and tragic accident.”
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