Benedict Blythe inquest: Jury retire to consider verdict
The jury assessing the death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe has retired to consider its verdict.
On Tuesday (July 8), Area Coroner Elizabeth Gray summed up all of the evidence heard in the inquest to the jury and asked them to begin their deliberations.
The inquest into Benedict’s death was opened on last Monday (June 30) at Peterborough Town Hall.
The jury has been to deliver their verdict on how Benedict’s death came to be.
Benedict passed away on December 1, 2021 due to a food-induced anaphylaxis he first suffered while in class at Barnack Primary School. He later taken to Peterborough City Hospital for further treatment but sadly died a short time after.
The inquest has heard from Benedict’s mother Helen, father Peter, along with representatives from Barnack Primary School who were present at the time of the incident and a number of medical professionals consulted regarding Benedict both before and after his death.
Benedict joined Mensa at the age of just four and has been described by his father as an ‘extremely bright’ child who ‘loved school’ and was thriving in the few months he had been attending school, which began in September 2021.
Benedict both asthma as well as a number of allergies, including to milk, egg, chickpea, sesame, kiwi, high levels of cocoa and most nuts.
The inquest has heard that Benedict was sick on the night on November 29 and was kept off school the following day. He was allowed to return to school on December 1 as, due to how often Benedict was sick, for reasons other than illness, his attendance would be too poor would be required to stay off for two days every time he was sick.
The inquest has been told that on the morning of December 1, during snack time, Benedict was taken outside to eat a McVities gingerbread man before being offered his usual calcium-enriched oatmilk.
Due to Benedict’s allergies, he brought his own calcium-enriched oat milk from home at the beginning of each week. This was stored in the staff fridge, in the school’s staff room, close to his own cup; which was permanently stored at the school and labelled with his name.
On this day, Benedict did not want his milk and was instructed to pour it away in the sink.
Shortly after this, he vomited and his father Peter was called to the school, while sitting and reading he vomited again and was taken outside by his class teacher Jenny Brass, who then brought him back inside upon noticing his condition significantly deteriorating.
Once inside, Benedict collapsed and has been described as going ‘blue’ and ‘floppy.’ He was given two doses of an adrenaline pen but to no effect.
Several members of staff, as well as Benedict’s father, performed CPR inside of the school before paramedics arrived to continue Benedict’s treatment and transport him
Among those to give evidence to the inquest was Dr Shuaib Nasser, an allergy and asthma consultant, who said that it was his opinion that Benedict’s milk allergy was the only of his allergy’s that could have caused the fatal anaphylaxis which Benedict ultimately suffered from.