Erdington suicide victim Aaron Dugmore 'didn't realise impact of actions'

A nine-year-old boy who hanged himself in Birmingham would not have understood the consequences of his actions, a coroner has said.

Aaron Dugmore was found by a relative at his Erdington home in February last year. He suffered a cardiac arrest and died in hospital.

An inquest in Birmingham heard the youngster had gone to his bedroom following a minor argument.

Coroner Louise Hunt recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Mrs Hunt described his death as an "absolute tragedy" and said she believed a boy of such a young age would not have appreciated the consequences of his actions.

The inquest heard Aaron was having what appeared to be a normal day when events unfolded.

"There was an altercation in the house and he went to his bedroom," Mrs Hunt said.

"It's clear that mum and stepdad did everything they possibly could to administer first aid - full credit to you for everything you tried to do."

Aaron's relatives had claimed he was being bullied at Erdington Hall Primary School.

But Mrs Hunt heard a number of incidents at the school had been dealt with appropriately and a police inquiry had found no evidence of systematic bullying.

Aaron's mother, Kelly Dugmore, said her son had not been happy at school but never said anything that made her think he might want to hurt himself.

Jane Held, the chair of Birmingham's Safeguarding Board, said they were waiting for the inquest before completing a serious case review.

"After completion, we will share the report with Aaron's family and will consider how best to use the findings to help other children and families so they don't have to face a similar tragedy," she said.