Boy, 8, found hanged in his room minutes after a row with his little sister

A schoolboy was sent to his room after a minor squabble with his younger sister and was found hanged 15 minutes later, an inquest heard.

Christopher with his father Jason

Christopher Furniss-Roe was sent to his room after the siblings had a row outside the family home in Pontypool, South Wales.

The eight-year-old was discovered dangling from his bunk bed with a belt around his neck.

His horrified dad Jason cut the unconscious lad down from the bed’s guard rail and performed CPR on him until paramedics arrived, Gwent coroners court, sitting in Newport was told.

Christopher was taken to hospital but the agonising decision was made the next day to switch off his life support machine.


Coroner David Bowen, who ruled that the boy did not intend to kill himself, told the inquest: “He had been naughty and as a result he had been sent to his room.

“It was far more probable he was pretending to hang himself to get sympathy and forgiveness. But it all went tragically wrong.”

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Bowen added: “A heart-wrenching decision was made to turn that [life support] machine off the following day.”

The court was told Christopher had been happy on the day of the tragedy last July after he had done well in races at his school’s sports day.

It was said that after coming home from school that afternoon his little sister’s beach bucket was broken when the pair had the petty row outside their home in Pontypool, South Wales.