A girl of three died after falling 25ft from a bedroom window on to a concrete patio, an inquest was told.

Leonilda Veall, known as Nilda, may have been searching for a cat when she fell from the first-floor room at Churchdale Road, Eastbourne.

The inquest heard she climbed on to a bed then on to a window sill before falling through the open window on August 21.

She was taken to the Eastbourne District General Hospital (DGH).

However, she died hours later from her head injuries after being airlifted to the Atkinson Morley Hospital in Wimbledon, south London.

The inquest at Eastbourne Magistrates Court yesterday heard the incident was an accident and had no third-party involvement.

On the morning of the accident, Nilda was taken to Stacey Rowe's home by Wendy Bowry, the partner of Nilda's father, Maurizio Manfredi.

Mr Manfredi and Miss Bowry had access to Nilda about once a week from her mother Tabitha Veall, of Western Road, St Leonards.

Nilda, Mrs Rowe and Miss Bowry were planning to go for a day's outing in Eastbourne with two of Mrs Rowe's young children.

Nilda and Mrs Rowe's two toddlers went upstairs to collect their belongings. Then Mrs Rowe and Miss Bowry heard a thud and went into the garden.

They found Nilda lying motionless on her back on the patio.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, East Sussex coroner Alan Craze said: "Simple wisdom demands that children shouldn't be allowed out of the sight of their parents or guardians without thought about what dangers they may face."