Man arrested after boy critically injured in crocodile enclosure at zoo

A three-year-old boy was left critically injured after ending up in a crocodile enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst in Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, prompting police to arrest a 30-year-old man from Norfolk on suspicion of attempted murder. Officers were called at 1.24pm BST, and the boy was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge with serious injuries.

Cambridgeshire Police said the child’s condition was critical but stable. Specially trained officers were with the boy’s family at the hospital as the case moved into the hands of detectives from the Major Crime Unit.

The arrest sharpened the focus on how a child reached a crocodile enclosure at a public attraction and what safeguards were in place at the site. In a case involving a three-year-old, the immediate public-interest questions extend beyond the arrest itself to supervision, access control and whether the attraction’s barriers and procedures were adequate for a family venue.

Police said the arrested man was from Norfolk. The Telegraph reported that officers do not believe the boy and the man were known to each other, a detail that deepens the concern around how the incident unfolded and what motivated the events that led to the child’s injuries.

The investigation now centers on the sequence of events inside the attraction and the responsibility that comes with keeping visitors safe around dangerous animals. With a child in hospital and a man under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder, the case is likely to face close scrutiny over whether the enclosure could have been better protected and whether the warning signs, staffing and physical safeguards were enough.