News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A heartbroken young couple told yesterday how their baby son was crushed to death under a heavy chest of drawers.

Mason Tipping, 22 months, was climbing on the furniture in his room when it fell on top of him weighing an estimated 30kg.

Mum Christine, 22, found him trapped and although dad Adrian desperately tried first aid, Mason was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Colchester General Hospital.

Devastated Adrian, 29, said: “Usually we can hear the children playing from six in the morning, but it was strangely quiet.

“Christine went into his room and I heard a scream. She was screaming and shouting for me and I knew something bad had happened.

“I went into the room and the chest of drawers was lying down.

"She was desperately trying to lift it off him, but it must have weighed at least 30 kilos because it was full of his clothes.

"I was doing mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions, hoping for the best.

"He was looking up at me and his eyes were open. In my heart I think I knew he was dead but we didn’t give up hope.”

Mason loved to climb on the chest and Adrian, currently jobless, had recently emptied the lower drawers and screwed them shut to prevent an accident.

Now fears he may have caused his son’s death by making the chest top-heavy.

“Mason was so full of life, he was always climbing. It keeps running through my mind that what I did caused the drawers to fall. It is a horrible feeling,” said Adrian.

Care worker Christine, from Colchester, Essex, discovered the tragedy when she went to get Mason ready on Friday morning.

He was rushed to hospital but declared dead 25 minutes later. Post-mortem results were still being awaited.

Christine says he was a perfect brother to his sisters, Keira, two, and Faye, four months.

“He was so loving to his sisters,” she said.

“Even though he was not the oldest he was like the big brother.”