Brighton: Sussex Police award boys who found missing child

Teenagers Francis Lennon and Archie Hall were on a day out mountain biking when they came across something that did not quite look right.

The pair had passed a six-year-old walking on Mill Road near the A27 at Westdene.

Mill Road (Image: Google)

Archie said: "We caught him up and I asked 'do you know where your parents are?'

"It is such a big road and I didn't see anyone near him who looked like an adult.

"He said he didn't know where his parents were, but he thought they were near a museum.

"That turned out to be the Fishing Museum."

The boys, who are in Year 8 at Blatchington Mill school, immediately called 999 to tell the emergency services they had found a boy.

A timeline of events (Image: Google)

The operator told them to go to the Hilltop Cafe, just off Dyke Road, with the boy - where they gave him an ice cream.

Unbeknownst to the pair, a huge search was underway on Brighton beach for the missing six-year-old, with fears growing for his safety with every minute that passed.

Police declared him as a "high risk" missing person, and dozens of cars and officers descended on the beach to find the tot.

The young boy was reported missing at around 2.30pm on April 8, 2022, and was not found for over two hours before he was discovered shortly after 4.30pm.

Archie added: "It took the police like two minutes to turn up. They had five cars, dogs, all their lights on. They took him away instantly.

"I think he wanted to go to London as that was the only place he knew."

The boy was reunited with his parents thanks to the quick thinking of the duo.

Francis, left and Archie, right after winning the award at the County Cricket Ground (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

They were commended by Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw at the Brighton and Hove Police divisional awards ceremony on Tuesday.

Chief Supt Burtenshaw said: "From a policing perspective, we would have never started searching there. It was so far away.

"And that young child had been missing for two hours already, and was a high risk missing person.

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"These two heroes found him.

"The next step for that boy was the downs, and God knows what could have happened to him then.

"We hear all the time about the negatives of young people, but this shows we have some good heroes out here.

"It would have been very easy to carry on and go about your day."

The scene on Brighton Beach (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Francis said that after finding the boy and help reunite him with his parents, he has learnt a lot about courage.

He said: "I wasn't too sure about approaching him at first. It definitely teaches you that even if something feels uncomfortable you should still do the right thing and see what is going on.

"And if anything I was quite happy as we were running late already, and I needed an excuse."

Their head of year at Blatchington Mill, Virginia Trickey, said: "We are really proud of Archie and Francis for demonstrating so much care and compassion.

"We talk a lot in school about the importance of kindness and it is great to see them putting this into action in the community by helping a child in their time of need."