Archie Battersby The death resulted from an accident during a “prank or experiment gone wrong”, a coroner ruled.
The 12-year-old’s life support was withdrawn last August, months after he was found unconscious at home with a bandage around his neck. southend, essex, on 7 April. His family believe he was taking part in a dangerous online challenge.
His parents Holly Dance and Paul Battersby High Court ruled that doctors could legally withdraw her medical care.
(PA average)
During the inquest into his death at Chelmsford, essexSenior Coroner Lincoln Brookes described the schoolboy as a “complex” child.
Recording a finding of accidental death, they said that Archie “did not intend to harm himself, but did so inadvertently during a prank or experiment gone wrong”.
Mr Brooks said he was satisfied Archie had “put his head in a noose or put a noose around his neck”.
“I think he did it for no good reason: 12-year-old boys don’t always have reasons,” Mr Brooks said.
“I think it might just be a matter of curiosity – how does it feel?”
He said that “something similar happened the night before”, when Archie’s sister saw him putting a rope around his head to try to bar the door.
“It was an accident gone wrong, either a prank to shock his mother as she came out of the bedroom to show him something shocking or reckless, or was simply experimenting to see if That’s what it was like to do,” Mr. Brooks said.
“It probably went wrong very quickly and very badly.”
He said it was “possible” that Archie was taking part in an online challenge but had not seen evidence of this.
Archie Battersby’s mother and father, Holly Dance and Paul Battersby, outside the Royal Courts of Justice
(Carl Court / Getty Images)
He said he had considered a finding of suicide, but dismissed it, adding: “It seems to me that there was a period of low mood and very low mood during the last 12 months, in the days leading up to her death.” I haven’t found any proof of that.”
“He was full of energy, he was very physical, he was very bored at times,” Mr Brooks said.
“He loved to shock the people around him, perhaps even more than the ones he cared about.
“He liked to trick, he sometimes liked to pull off acts, or what some might describe as stunts, that alerted people.”
He added that Archie had shared with peers in WhatsApp groups “and expressed to his mother, several times, that he was very low and was questioning whether it was all worth it”.
They recorded Archie’s medical cause of death as catastrophic hypoxic ischemic brain injury, secondary to strangulation.
A teary-eyed Ms Dance reported finding her son unresponsive near the stairs before running outside and shouting for help.
She said: “I was crying hysterically, I was saying ‘please don’t leave mummy, I love you little man’.
“I said it over and over again, I didn’t want him to leave me.”
Asked by Essex Senior Coroner Lincoln Brookes how she thought her son died, Miss Dance replied: “I think he climbed onto the bannister and probably fell, causing serious injuries to his neck.” The injury resulted in unconsciousness.”
She said she believes her son’s death was an accident.
Detective Sergeant Tiffany Gore said Archie had written in WhatsApp messages about being depressed and having thoughts of self-harm.
In one, Young wrote: “That’s why I’m so depressed all the time and I don’t slit my wrists, but I did try and think about killing myself.”
Detective Inspector Sarah Weeks said: “On the day of the incident Archie was looking forward to his first MMA fight and had chosen the music for his entrance.” He said that he was playing with his pet rabbit and wanted to buy a coat.
Ms Weeks said Archie was found in an “unusual position on the stairs”. “It may not be possible to establish what prompted Archie to put the rope around his neck,” she said.
Earlier, Ms Gore told the hearing that officers had found a voice note on Archie’s phone from four days before he died.
In the audio, a young man said: “Oh Archie, do you know why you are angry? Because your mother wanted you to have an abortion.”
Ms Gore said police recovered 695 pictures and 282 videos from Archie’s phone. She said that no one showed Archie around his head or neck or taking part in any of the challenges.
Archie’s older half-sister Lauren Summers said that the day before the incident Archie had been playing, trying to pull the door shut with a rope attached to the top of his head.
Ms Dance said Archie was “the apple of my eye”, “well loved” and “protected”.
Doctor treating Archie Royal London Hospital Whitechapel, formerly Londonthought he was brain-stem dead and said it was not in his best interests to continue life-saving treatment – a decision his parents repeatedly challenged in the courts.