Mother held over son's dryer death

The mother of a four-year-old boy who was found dead in a tumble-dryer has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect, it emerged yesterday.

The body of Sonny Gibson, right, was found by his mother, Anne, and a police officer at her home in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, on 26 July. The boy is believed to have climbed into the tumble-dryer during a game of hide-and-seek.

A spokesman for Derbyshire Police said a woman had been arrested in connection with the care of Sonny and not his death. He said: "We have arrested a 41-year-old woman on suspicion of child neglect following investigations into the incident." Ms Gibson was arrested last Friday and was bailed. Sonny had been playing in his family's garden shortly before he went missing. His mother called police and a large-scale search, which included the force's helicopter, was launched.

About 50 minutes later, Sonny was found dead in the tumble-dryer by his mother, who was said to be "distraught", and a police officer.