Boy, 14, killed himself after being accused of horrific crime he didn’t commit | UK | News
A teenage boy committed suicide after being falsely accused of stealing the ashes of a dead baby. Family and school principal say Kai Lloyd was behaving normally after his arrest on December 11, 2021
But a few days later he was found hanged by his father John in the bedroom of the family home in Dodds Drive, Connah’s Quay.
During an inquest today, his mother Lisa revealed she received a text message from Chloe Robinson on December 8 asking if she was Kai’s mother.
Ms Robinson later texted: “Thank him for robbing my flat.”
News of the alleged theft spread quickly through the small town and made national headlines.
“Kai wasn’t mentioned in the articles, but we live in a small community and people knew it was him,” Lisa explained.
As the story spread, Kai, who was diagnosed with mild ADHD in 2016, was bullied at school and the online posts were heartbreaking. Wales Online reports.
“I know they would really upset Kai. He cared so much about other people. He would never hurt anyone.”
Ms Lloyd insisted Kai was adamant he had not taken anything from the house. He contacted the police to clarify the situation, but received no response from them in the eight days leading up to his tragic death.
“It would hurt him deeply if people said he stole a baby’s ashes, especially when it wasn’t true,” she said.
Sue Messham, Connah Quay High School’s pastoral co-ordinator and prefect, described Kai as a much-loved person with an “infectious smile”.
He shared with the investigation that he heard some children claiming that Kai had been arrested, but Kai insisted to him that he was innocent.
“I tried to reassure him that he should let the police investigate and the truth would come out,” he said.
He admitted that announcing the news of her death to his fellow students at the assembly “was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”
Current school principal James Forber told the hearing that policies regarding disclosures have been implemented and duties and responsibilities have been clarified.
North Wales East and Central senior coroner John Gittins read out a report from North Wales Police into the investigation into the alleged burglary; The report stated: “It appears that the property in question was not stolen.”
He noted a narrative conclusion in which he commented, referring to “unsubstantiated allegations”: “The lies were likely later embellished and exaggerated via social media.”
He stated that Kai “showed no behavioral concern towards his family or school and showed no signs of intending to harm himself.”
He also stated: “There is no evidence that the actions or omissions of any agency caused or contributed to his death, and although it was the result of a self-inflicted act, it is impossible to infer his intent.”
The coroner has announced he will delay his decision on whether to issue a Preventing Future Deaths report until North Wales Police provides information on changes to their approach to dealing with people with ADHD.
