Boy, 5, strangled by car's electric window 'as he searched for sweets'

A five-year-old boy who was choked to death by a car's electric window had been searching for sweets with his brother, an inquest has heard.

Little Michael Dury took his mother Wendy's car keys off the kitchen table while she was on the phone so he could get into her Ford Escort car to hunt for sweets with his little brother.

Croydon Coroner's Court heard this week how Michael's mum found her son with his head stuck in the window outside their home in New Addington, Croydon, on August 15 this year.

Michael's three-year-old brother Jonathan was also in the car at the time of the accident.

Detective Inspector Liz Baker said there was no way of knowing which lad pressed the button to raise the electric window.

She said: "There was no fail-safe stop built into the car because it was too early a model.

"The window would go up and it would not stop when it encountered resistance."

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Coroner Roy Palmer, recording a verdict of accidental death, told Michael's mum: "I'm so sorry you lost Michael in these most sudden and tragic circumstances."

The five-year-old's dad Paul Dury, 30, who is separated from Michael's mum Wendy, broke down in tears at the inquest after hearing how his son died.

The coroner heard how Michael's 29-year-old mother had a habit of leaving sweets in her red Ford Escort and that her children often took her keys to go and hunt for the treats.

Wendy told the inquest how Michael had asked to borrow her car keys so he could look for sweets in her car and that she had told him to bring the keys straight back.

Michael had replied 'Yeah', before running to the car with younger brother Jonathan.

After several minutes Wendy went out to check on her boys only to see Michael's head trapped between the window and the roof of the car.

Mum-of-four Wendy desperately tried to revive her son, but he was pronounced dead two hours later at 4.25 on August 15 at St George's Hospital in Tooting. Wendy, also has two girls, Georgina, 12, and Sophie, eight.

Mum Wendy Broughton and Michael's dad Paul Dury said in a statement: "Michael was a happy child and brought a smile to everyone who knew him.

"He enjoyed everything in life, especially going to work with his dad, helping with his work as a builder, and playing computer games."