Boy hanged by accident — Coroner

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 10

Boy hanged by accident — Coroner

PA Wellington lan Malcolm Churches, aged 13, saw a television programme which showed an unsuccessful hanging’ oh the night that he accidentally hung himself, the Wellington Coroner’s Court was told yesterday.The Coroner, Mr A. D. McGregor, found that the son of Detective Chief Superintendent Malcolm Thomas Churches, of Wellington, died in Wellington on July 1 from asphyxia, the result of accidental hanging. Of the television programme and a film with a hanging which lari Churches saw on June 14, he said it was not for the Court to decide the extent such scenes augmented or inflamed the interest of an impressionable lad in hanging. “But they are strongly suspect,” he said. The makers and distributors Of such material say it was good realistic entertainment but others, in his view responsible citizens, would describe it in different terms, he said.

The case was one of the most distressing he had had

to deal with for some time. lan Churches appeared to have had an interest or fascination with hanging which was not altogether unusual. There was absolutely no evidence of any intention on his part to end his life.

Blair Cameron McEwen, aged 13, a school pupil, said tha,t on June 14 he and lan Churches had gone to the Majestic Theatre to see the matinee session of the film “Tom Hom.” The film had ended with Tom Scott being hung. Afterwards he had gone to lan Churches’ home and in his bedroom the deceased had shown him a wardrobe which had had a hangman’s noose tied to the coat rail. lan Churches had said that he had had the noose for a while for show. . lan Churches had shown him how it worked by facing the wardrobe, walking forwards, and placing the loop end over his head and around his neck. When it had tightened the deceased had said that it was hard to get off. Detective Chief Superintendent Churches said lari

had beeri his youngest sori. •“ He had last seen him at 8.15 « p.m. on July 1. His son had* teen in his bedroom do ins - his schoolwork, had been his J normal cheerful self, and had s: not been worried by any « matter. . » About 9.10 pun. he had fol-« lowed his wife into his sori’s room and had found his son a in his wardrobe hanging * with a rope around his neck. His son had shown > him the rope about two or;-, three weeks earlier and had said that he had made it * after reading how' to do so ” in a book. •: w;;? < Chief .? , Superintendent:’ Stuart Blair McEwen, who "! identified lan Churches, said ■ \ his inquiries ■ had shown : that the deceased had < watched a television pro-J: gramme, “The Professionals.’’j < earlier, that evening which ’i had- had an unsuccessful hanging scene. ■ “I am satisfied, that tha' vi deceased was playing with 1 the rope in identical circumstances to the evening of j June 14 but he accidentally* lost consciousness Before ha.2* could extricate himself,” he said.