Noah Woods, three, died in pond after he left play area 'through a gap in the fence', inquest told

A three-year-old boy left a play area 'through a gap in the fence' before being found dead in a lake following a huge search, an inquest heard today.Noah Woods became separated from a relative after visiting a playground in the Suffolk village of Brantham on Tuesday last week, the hearing in Ipswich was told.Some 1,300 members of the public joined a search to find Noah, who police said was non-verbal, partially deaf and had been undergoing an assessment for autism.Metropolitan Police divers recovered his body from a lake, known locally as Decoy Pond, the following day and police said his death was not being treated as suspicious.An inquest into Noah's death was opened and adjourned today, which heard a diver found his body about 'five metres from the bank and within submerged tree roots'.Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick said that Noah, of East Bergholt, was being 'looked after by relatives and this was part of a normal routine for Noah'.He said they walked to an under-fives play area and CCTV footage in the park 'showed Noah playing with his relative', with the first footage timed at 2.13pm.Mr Connick added that Noah was last seen playing at 2.37pm, but he cautioned that the CCTV 'is motion-activated so doesn't provide continuous footage'. Noah Woods, three, became separated from a relative after visiting a playground in Brantham The playground on Merriam Close in Brantham, from where Noah went missing last weekSuffolk Police issued CCTV footage of Noah's last movements at the playground in BranthamHe said the relative, who was not named at the hearing, had provided a statement to police.The officer said Noah 'left through a gap in the fence leading to the memorial garden where he left through an open gate'.He said Noah went in the direction of Decoy Pond and he was 'being closely followed by his relative who was trying to keep up with him'.He said the relative 'shouted after him', but after 200 metres Noah could not be seen.'Police were called and a large-scale search operation began,' Mr Connick said.He said Noah was found by a Met Police diver 'approximately five metres from the bank and within submerged tree roots'.He said the depth was estimated at 1.8 metres at that point.A post-mortem examination at Addenbrooke's Hospital mortuary in Cambridge recorded his medical cause of death as pending further investigation, Mr Connick said.He said Noah's death was confirmed at 4.31pm by paramedics and his identity was formally confirmed by his mother Charlie Peck at Ipswich Hospital that evening.CCTV of the last confirmed sighting of Noah from the park at 2.37pm on September 15 The lake, known as Decoy Pond, is 250 yards from where Noah was last seen by a relative Assistant coroner for Suffolk Jyoti Gill said at the outset of the hearing, which was not attended by family: 'I would like to express my deepest condolences to Noah's family and friends and all those affected by Noah's death.' She said at the end of the six-minute hearing: 'The inquest is adjourned to a date to be fixed in due course. Once again, my deepest condolences.'A JustGiving page set up by Good Dads Club, a community of fathers based in Colchester, Essex, has since received £113,000 in donations from 6,500 supporters.The fundraiser aims to help Noah's family with expenses at the 'heartbreaking time' and allow them 'time off work to grieve without the added strain of financial worry'. Noah's father Rhys Woods paid tribute to his son last week, saying: 'There are no words to describe the pain of this loss, we are all absolutely heartbroken.'Noah was the sweetest and most innocent little boy, with nothing but love to give, and we are going to miss him so very much.'Suffolk Police said last week that Noah's body was formally identified after being recovered by police divers – and that his death was not being treated as suspicious. Helicopters, the coastguard, fire and rescue service, lowland search and rescue volunteers and other agencies joined police and volunteers in the search for Noah.