Latest from probe into death of child in headstone tragedy in Glasgow
Police Officer tells fatal accident inquiry a friend of Ciaran Williamson said he was "hit on the face"
A “shaken" schoolboy told police an eight-year-old was hit on the face with a gravestone while they were playing in a cemetery, a fatal accident inquiry heard.
The friend of tragic Ciaran Williamson who was killed last May 26 after a stone fell on him in Craigton Cemetery, spoke to police shortly after.
He told a policeman a stone hit him on the back when he jumped out of a tree with others, and Ciaran was “hit on the face”.
PC Neil Galbraith who took the statement from the child, read it to a fatal accident inquiry into Ciaran's death.
The inquiry which continued at Glasgow Sheriff Court is to establish if there were any reasonable precautions that could have prevented the tragedy.
And, to establish if there were any defects in the system of work which caused or contributed to Ciaran’s death.
PC Galbraith said he was the first officer on the scene after hearing a young person had a possible head injury in the cemetery.
He said Ciaran was already in the ambulance when he arrived at the scene.
The officer said he had to “coax” one of Ciaran’s friends who was “very shaken, very nervous” when he took a statement later that night.
He said: “It was very hard to take information from him however we were trying to establish exactly what happened.”
The inquiry heard he said they went into the graveyard “through the hole in the wall” with friends including Ciaran.
He told police: “We seen a tree we wanted to climb, the tree was next to a big stone.”
The child said: “Ciaran was standing in front of the big stone. Me (and others) all jumped from the tree at the same time.
“As soon as I landed the big stone fell on my back. It hit Ciaran in the face.
“I stayed with Ciaran while everyone ran for help.”
PC Galbraith also took a statement from another child who was with Ciaran at the time of tragedy.
He told police they went to the graveyard and some of the boys wanted to use gravestones to get on to the wall.
He said some of the boys climbed up and Ciaran was “waiting at the tombstone to get up on to it”.
The child claimed one of the boys wanted to use the tree to get on to the wall and pushed off of the gravestone.
The boy said: “As he pushed off the tombstone, it fell. I leapt out the road but it caught me on my heel.”
The inquiry before sheriff Linda Ruxton continues.