A 12 year-old schoolboy fan of street magician and illusionist Dynamo accidentally hanged himself in his bedroom, an inquest heard.
Tragic Charlie Kelsey-Neil, 12, was keenly interested in knots and spent hours watching the British-born star’s TV shows.
He was found by a younger sibling after the pair had an argument.
His mother Caroline, 31, and his stepdad Jovan Neil, 26, desperately tried to revive him but he was pronounced dead later the same evening.
Two weeks before his death Charlies had loosely put an internet cable around his neck and jokingly faked a hangman’s stance in front of Year 8 classmates.
But his stepdad told a coroner that incident was not a cry for help and the youngster had never given any indication of wanting to harm himself.
Mr Neil said that Charlie, who had ADHD, had enjoyed playing with knots since he was a toddler and would pretend to be Spiderman.
He said: “He was not interested in looking on the internet, but when he did it was about fishing and magic tricks.
“He became really interested in Dynamo, who does street magic, and he would watch episode after episode for hours.”
Charlie, a pupil at the Orchard School in Canterbury, Kent, was found unconscious at home in Sittingbourne last October.
Patricia Harding, the Coroner for Medway, said: “I totally rule out suicide. There is no evidence he was suffering from depression or anything of that sort.
“The evidence shows that it was probable that it was the unintentional consequence of a deliberate action.
“The probable cause of death is that it was an accident. It is a very tragic case.”
After the hearing Charlie’s family said: “Charlie was a lovely boy with a real get up and go personality.
“He loved the outdoors and would even camp in the garden.
“He was a good brother and very protective of his siblings. He was always there for them and his smile could light up any room.
“All his friends have nothing but good things to say about him and he is sorely missed, we all loved him so much.”
In a statement after the inquest Charlie’s mother described how the 12-year-old used to tie himself up and then try to escape.
Caroline Neil, 31, said when he was very young Charlie would play with washing line cords and the rope from her dressing gown.
She also said he had an obsession with Spiderman throughout his childhood.
Charlie’s stepdad Jovan Neil, 26, had told the inquest: “He never indicated he wanted to kill himself.
“We say it when we are when we are upset sometimes but I never think he ever really meant it.
“I do not think he understood it. I have never seen Charlie do anything similar.
“He has tied ties around his wrists but never around his neck. He would do it to see if he could get out of it.”
Charlie’s head teacher Nikki Mason, 57, said: “Charlie was a popular with staff and pupils and the news he has gone was devastating.
“He will be missed by everyone at the school and never forgotten. He had the warmest smile and he really lit up the room.
“He embraced everything at school, worked hard and loved new challenges. He was a boy who loved the outdoors and his friends.”
Verdict: Accident.
