A mother believes that her ten-year-old son died of a result of the sinister ‘choking game’ craze, which is sweeping the web, after another boy fell victim to it.
Louise Hembrow’s football-mad son Alfie collapsed in his family home in March and doctors report he died of a rare condition known as ‘vagal inhibition’ which stops the heart, killing in less than two minutes.
However Louise, 43, believes her son died after taking part in the dangerous online game, where youngsters choke each other and is warning other parents to be vigilant, The Mirror reports.
Her stark warning comes days after Karnel Haughton, 12, passed away supposedly because of the craze.
This terrible news has only hardened Louise’s belief that Alfie was a victim of the same craze and she’s informed the police.
Now she’s waiting for the outcome of a full inquest, which has yet to be scheduled.
She said:
The medical condition – no one has spoken to me about that. I had always thought it was the choking game. I didn’t know it existed, but I was told some boys had been talking about it at school.
However Louise doesn’t understand why Alfie, who was always safety conscious would play such a dangerous game saying: “. He wouldn’t do anything he thought would do him harm.”
Louise fears that her son was lured into taking part in the game and has said that ‘parents have to be aware of [the game]. This is something that has to stop.’
It was revealed at inquest that Alfie died of vagal inhibition, which causes the heart to stop when the vagus nerve in the neck is stimulated by pressure on the neck.
However no evidence was given that suggested Alfie died as a result of an accident. The inquest has been adjourned for further inquiries.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.