Inquest told boy (11) found his brother (4) hanging from window

An inquest was told yesterday how an 11-year-old boy discovered his four-year-old brother hanging by his hood from a toilet window at their primary school in east Clare last year.

At an inquest in Ennis yesterday into the death of Karl Fox, a jury was told his brother Gavin climbed onto a bicycle and lifted Karl from the window and onto the ground on March 14th last year at Feakle national school.

According to evidence from Garda Vivian Cahalane, "Gavin then tried to wake up Karl, but failed to do so."

The inquest heard Gavin put Karl over his shoulder and went on to the road outside the school to get help.

A local woman, Mary Rose Loughnane, who was bringing her daughter from dance class, saw Gavin in a very distressed state.

She drove the two boys home and on arriving at the Fox home, the boys' mother, Linda, came out "to take Karl from Gavin's shoulder and tried to wake him by shaking him".

Karl was taken by ambulance to Ennis General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 6.20pm.

The inquest was told Gavin was training after school between 3pm and 4pm and he had seen Karl playing around the field at 3.30pm.

Gavin returned home after training, but Karl was not there and Ms Fox asked him to return to find him.

Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, said the cause of death was accidental hanging.

County coroner Isobel O'Dea said that Karl's death was very tragic and very sad for his parents, his siblings, his school and the wider Feakle community.

Ms O'Dea said that "accidental hanging" was the appropriate verdict to give, and after deliberating for a short time the jury returned a verdict of "accidental hanging".