Boy, 6, fell to his death ‘while reading Mr Men book next to window as it was too hot in bed’
The temperature was said to be 'unbearable' in the little boy's room during last summer's heatwave
A TRAGIC six-year-old boy fell from his bedroom window to his death while reading a Mr Men book, an inquest heard.
William Coy, from Lincoln, got out of bed because the temperature was "almost unbearable" during last summer's heatwave.
He was rushed to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, but died two days later.
William was described as an "intelligent, inquisitive and caring" lad with a maturity beyond his years.
The inquest at Boston Coroner's Court was told that William had gone downstairs three times after being put to bed and his father, Richard, had become a little irritated.
William returned to his bedroom on the second floor of the three-storey terraced home, and it is believed he sat on the windowsill and read as he would often do.
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
The lower panel of the replacement UPVC window had no catches and opened fully wide from the top.
It is believed that while reading William may have leant on the window and fallen out on July 17 last year.
In a statement, William's father, Richard - who called his son "my little buddy" - said he thought his elder daughter was joking when she came to ask him why William was sleeping outside.
He had expected to find that William had let himself out of the back door, but it was locked and it was then that he saw his son lying on the concrete patio.
Richard said: "I could see that his glasses were on the floor beside him, as if he had just taken them off.
I started to shout and scream in complete panic
William's dad Richard
"There was a small amount of blood coming from his nose. I started to shout and scream in complete panic.
"I tried to wake William up, but he wouldn't open his eyes. He wasn't breathing properly."
Emergency services arrived within three minutes of the call and William, who was twice resuscitated from cardiac arrest, was taken to QMC, but died as a result of a "catastrophic" head injury two days later.
The inquest heard that William had only recently expressed interest in his organs being used for donation after his death after seeing a TV programme and quizzing his mum, Kate, about it. His kidneys and pancreas were used.
DANGEROUS
The family had lived in the rented accommodation for about three years.
Mr Coy said the issue with the unrestricted windows had been raised at the time with the landlord, but, had been "forgotten about or overlooked".
He added: "Kate and I had been careful to ensure that the children were aware of the dangers and we stressed the risk of going near the windows when they were open.
"We encouraged them to keep them closed whenever they were in their bedrooms.
"However, last summer this was impossible due to the oppressive heat."
Words are really inadequate to do justice to fully describe the circumstances of the tragedy
The coroner
William's sister had shut the window after his fall in an effort to protect him from getting into trouble for leaving it open, the inquest heard.
Police child protection officers investigated William's death, but Det Insp Lee St Quinton told the inquest that there were no concerns, and it was obviously a "loving family unit".
Assistant Coroner Richard Marshall said it was one of the most tragic cases he had ever dealt with.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, he said: "Words are really inadequate to do justice to fully describe the circumstances of the tragedy.
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"It's difficult to imagine anything worse than losing a child in such circumstances as these.
"It's also one of the most moving cases I've dealt with.
"William was only six and yet with an extraordinary degree of maturity had indicated that he would want to give his organs in the event of his death, tragically something that happened far too soon."
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