Boy, 10, died after duvet cover curtain got tangled around his neck - inquest

A woman screamed for help as her 10-year-old son lay unconscious and died after he got tangled up in a duvet cover being used as a curtain, an inquest has heard.

Ashton Tuckey, who had Down's Syndrome, was found by his mother, Jodie Tuckey, at their home in Binstead, Isle of Wight, on the afternoon of December 7 2014.

She brought him outside where neighbours rushed to help and attempted to resuscitate him, the Newport hearing was told.

Police and ambulance crews arrived and the youngster was taken to hospital, but attempts to save his life failed and he died as a result of "compression to the neck".

Neighbour Olga Kirwood-Slack said Ms Tuckey called out: "Help me, help me, please. He's going to go, I do not want him to go, I love him."

She added: "The incident was truly devastating to watch, I could feel the lady's pain."

Another neighbour, Jennet Scribbens, said Ms Tuckey told her that she had found her son tangled up in the curtain.

She said: "He had been playing and had been fine, it then went quiet, she said she came into the room, she thought he was looking out of the window and spoke to him but he didn't answer, she went towards him and realised he was lifeless, hanging from the curtains.

"She kept saying he had wrapped himself up in the curtain and she thought he was looking out."

She added that Ms Tuckey kept calling out: "Save my baby" as she tried to calm her down.

Pc Hannah Pothecary said that Ms Tuckey told her at the hospital: "It's all my fault, why did I have that stupid curtain and why did I think he was just looking out of the window."

Ashton's grandmother, Kathleen Tuckey, 64, told the hearing she received a phone call from her daughter and drove round to find him surrounded by people attempting to help him.

She said the duvet cover had been used as a curtain because Ashton, who also had autism, would pull at the old curtain.

She said: "We had used black-out blinds but thought it was safer to have the duvet fastened against the window.

"No-one had raised any concerns about the duvet in the past, Social Services had seen it and not made any comments."

The inquest heard that Ms Tuckey was too unwell to attend the hearing.

Her mother said: "Jodie always tried to do the best she could but everything is a great struggle for her as she has problems as well.

"She is diagnosed as autistic but no doubt loves her children."

She said that Ashton, who still needed to wear a nappy, was a "lovely child" but had a "very high pain threshold" and "no ability to call out" for help.

The two-day hearing continues.

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