Boy choked by electric car window as he hunted for sweets

Michael Dury grabbed the keys to the family car while his mother was talking on the phone.

She told him to return them after he had unlocked the Ford Escort, but when he failed to come back she went outside to check.

Scroll down for more...

She was then confronted by the horrific sight of her son's trapped head hanging from the car window, the inquest in Croydon heard.

Coroner Dr Roy Palmer, recording an accident verdict, said the circumstances were "tragic and awful".

The accident on August 15 happened after Michael's mother Wendy Broughton took him and his three-year-old brother Jonathan to the shops for sweets.

As she often did, she left the sweets inside the car when they arrived back at their home in nearby New Addington.

The children often took the car keys to get into the car and look for their treats.

Scroll down for more...

The inquest heard that when Miss Broughton went out and saw Michael, she screamed and dropped the phone.

She quickly freed the boy from the window and then ran into the house with him.

Michael's father, Paul Dury, tried to revive him while his mother dialled 999. Paramedics went to the house but were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead in hospital two hours later.

The inquest heard it was impossible to tell which of the brothers had pressed the switch to close the window.

The Escort, which was an early model, did not have a failsafe device to prevent the window from continuing to rise when meeting resistance.

Michael's parents, who also have an eight-year-old daughter, Sophie, said in a statement after the tragedy: "Michael was a very lovable child.

"He was healthy, happy and always 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."