Evidence retested in 2005 death of toddler Jordan Thompson reveals shock new allegations

A RAFT of new evidence presented to a coroner’s inquest -including new water sample and blood drug tests — contradict key claims made by a man who says toddler Jordan Thompson accidentally drowned in a bath while in his care in 2005.

NEW water sample and blood drug tests contradict key claims made by a man who says toddler Jordan Thompson accidentally drowned in a bath while in his care, police believe.

A shock clue suggesting 21-month-old Jordan was moved to the bath in a blue blanket and didn’t walk on his own to the bathroom is among a raft of new evidence presented to a NSW coroner’s inquest.

It is at odds with statements by Cecil Kennedy, the man who police charged with the boy’s manslaughter — only for the case to be dropped by prosecutors.

Toddler Jordan Thompson had a lethal dose of a prescribed antidepressant medication in his system.

And the youngster’s mother, Bernice Swales, last night said she hoped the “new scientific evidence” may “finally get justice for Jordan’’.

Jordan died on March 19, 2005, in the Singleton unit of Mr Kennedy, the then-boyfriend of the toddler’s mother.

Bernice Swales making an appeal to the public for information about the death of her son Jordan William Thompson in 2005. Picture: Peter Lorimer

Ms Swales was out shopping at the time when the death occurred.

Mr Kennedy told police he found the boy floating face down in the bath after leaving him alone for no more than 90 seconds.

Jordan, who walked to the bathroom on his own, had just had his hair washed and had been “playing happily with toys” before his death, he said.

Jordan’s mum Bernice hopes justice will finally come for her “beautiful little boy”.

It has been 23 years since Jordan’s death.

Mr Kennedy claims his desperate efforts to resuscitate him failed.

Tests found a large amount of the antidepressant drug amitriptyline in Jordan’s system. And never-before-seen photos can today reveal how packets of the medication were later found at Mr Kennedy’s premises.

He has repeatedly denied giving any drugs to Jordan and any wrongdoing in connection to his death.

Cecil Kennedy has repeatedly denied having anything to do with Jordan’s death.

Ms Swales said that when she returned to the unit she found her son on a bed, with a blue blanket nearby that she had never seen before.

She picked up Jordan and ran to Singleton Base Hospital across the road, where he was pronounced dead.

A coroner’s inquest investigated his death, but was terminated in 2008 when the coroner believed a known person was responsible for the death.

Jordan’s mum Bernice Swales in 2005. Picture: Peter Lorimer

In 2009 Mr Kennedy was charged with Jordan’s manslaughter, but the case was dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In April this year, an inquest was reconvened before Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott and heard new evidence that was inconsistent with statements Mr Kennedy made to the police.

The new evidence includes the findings of tests conducted in 2005 on the bathwater that Dr George Crack, from NSW University, concluded contained “no detectable levels of soap or synthetic detergents”.

In 2016, police sent samples of the water as well as the blanket, a washer and other pieces of clothing — such as a jumper Jordan was wearing on the day of his death — to be tested at the NSW forensic lab at Lidcombe.

 

 

The Telegraph can today reveal documents tendered to the court show the tests found 120 individual fibres in the bathwater and that 73 of them were “indistinguishable from the blue bedspread’’.

“In my opinion these findings strongly support the theory that the blue bedspread is the source of a significant number of fibres from the bath water,’’ Dr Susan Bennett said.

The blue blanket on Jordan’s bed is being re-examined.

Senior police believe this proves their theory Jordan was transported to the bath using the blue blanket.

Ms Swales has told police it had never been used before in the bathing process and its use has never been raised in any of the 11 statements made to police by Mr Kennedy.

APPEAL FOR INFORMATION ON TODDER’S DEATH

In more new evidence to the inquest, experts said the amount of amitriptyline found in Jordan’s system would have left him comatose and unable to walk to the bathroom.

A post-mortem forensics report said the “extensive resuscitation attempts” would have masked any signs of drowning and this gives the “potentially fatal level of amitriptyline” in the boy’s system “major significance”.

The bath was filled to approximately 30cm. Water collected at the time has been retested.

Police now believe Jordan died elsewhere in the unit and was wrapped in the blanket so that other children present did not see him.

They believe Jordon was given crushed up amitriptyline and overdosed. He was then put in the bath with about 30cm of water.

Bernice Swales leaves the inquest in 2015 at Glebe Coroners Court.

In his closing submissions, counsel assisting the inquest Chris McGorey said Ms Truscott could be “comfortably satisfied that the death was caused by the drug alone or a combination of the drug and drowning”.

“It would be a remarkable coincidence for Jordan to become submerged in the bath on the very day he had a drug in his system … It beggars belief,” he said.

Jordan’s blood was found on the bathroom floor and on his bed sheets.

The coroner could also be “comfortably satisfied” that Mr Kennedy gave the medication to Jordan, Mr McGorey said.

“The only rational explanation is that Mr Kennedy administered at least one tablet to Jordan, possibly in crushed form,” he said.

Ms Truscott will hand down her findings soon and Ms Swales last night vowed to “continue to fight for the truth about what happened to my beautiful boy”.

Mr Kennedy lives a reclusive lifestyle and attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.