Boy, 13, dies in online ‘choking game’

Kiran Randhawa12 April 2012

A coroner has issued a warning after a 13-year-old boy died when he apparently took part in an internet craze called "the choking game".

Harry Robinson's 11-year-old brother Charlie found him hanging by a dressing gown cord from the shower curtain rail. Charlie managed to cut Harry down and alert a neighbour, who called an ambulance, but Harry was pronounced dead in hospital, Chelmsford coroner's court heard.

Air cadet Harry, a pupil at Notley High School in Braintree, died in January. His mother, Amanda Keable, was out at the time, at about 7pm, the inquest heard.

The Coroner, Caroline Beasley Murray, said: "It was believed he was involved in a game called the choking game and that's what he was doing."

Mrs Beasley Murray said that Mrs Keable wanted to raise awareness of the dangers of the game which was "highly likely" to have claimed the life of her "much-loved son".

It is believed to be part of a craze where children film themselves using mobile phones taking increasing risks and post the videos on social websites. The coroner warned children that to take part was to "dice with death".

"There is no evidence Harry wanted to kill himself," she said. "We need to educate children about the real risk and educate parents in what to look out for — the telltale signs."

A post-mortem examination showed Harry died as a result of hanging. An accidental death verdict was recorded.

After the inquest, Susan Moss, assistant headteacher of Notley High, said: "There's a series of games starting with silly things like eating a tablespoon of chilli and going through a range, increasing the risk. Parents should see what children have filmed on their phones and check their social websites."

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