Schoolboy, 14, kills himself after being falsely accused of despicable crime

Schoolboy Kai Lloyd, 14, tragically took his own life after being accused of stealing something that was 'never stolen in the first place', an inquest heard

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A 14-year-old boy tragically took his own life after being falsely accused of stealing a baby's ashes, an inquest has heard.

Kai Lloyd's father, John, found his son's body in his bedroom at the family home in Dodds Drive, Connah's Quay on November 19, 2021 - just eight days after his arrest.

The inquest in Ruthin heard that Kai's mother Lisa Lloyd, received a text message on November 8 from a woman named Chloe Robinson, asking if she was Kai's mother. Mrs Lloyd said Ms Robinson then wrote: "Tell him thanks for burgling my flat."

Ms Robinson had told the media her deceased baby's ashes had been stolen in a burglary - a claim that was untrue but spread quickly on social media and appeared in the national press.

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"Kai wasn't mentioned in the articles but we live in a small community and people knew it was him," Mrs Lloyd said. She told the inquest that as the online posts spread, Kai - who had been diagnosed with mild ADHD in 2016 - was bullied at school, Wales Online reports.

"I know they would have really upset Kai. He cared deeply about other people. He would never hurt anybody," she said. "It would have hurt him deeply that people were saying he had stolen a baby's ashes, especially when this wasn't true."

Mrs Lloyd said Kai was adamant he had not taken anything from the house and that she contacted police to clear things up, but heard nothing from them in the eight days before his death.

The school's pastoral coordinator and head of year. Sue Messham, said Kai was well-liked and had "an infectious smile". She told the inquest she overheard some boys saying Kai had been arrested and that he told her he had done nothing wrong. "I tried to reassure him that he needed to let the police investigate and the truth would come out," she said.

Breaking the news of Kai's deaths to fellow pupils during assembly "was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do", she added.

The current headteacher, James Forber, told the hearing that policies regarding disclosures had since been introduced and that roles and responsibilities had been clarified.

John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, read a report from North Wales Police on the investigation into the alleged burglary, which stated that the alleged burglary victim had "lied to police" and that it "appears that said property was never stolen in the first place".

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Recording a narrative conclusion, the coroner referred to the "unsubstantiated allegations" and said: "Likely falsehoods were subsequently embellished and exaggerated through the medium of social media."

Mr Gittins said Kal "exhibited no behavioural concerns to his family or his school and gave no indication of any intention to harm himself". He added: "There is no evidence that the acts or omissions of any agency caused or contributed to his death, and although it was the result of a self-inflicted act it is not possible to discern his intent."

The coroner said he would defer a decision on whether to issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report to North Wales Police while awaiting details on how the force plans to handle cases involving people with ADHD.

**For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email **jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.