Teen found dead after being falsely accused of stealing ashes

Kai Lloyd's parents discovered his body in his bedroom in November 2021

A 14-year-old boy was found dead just days after being falsely accused of stealing the ashes of a dead baby in a burglary, an inquest has heard.

Kai Lloyd's parents discovered his body in his bedroom at his Connah's Quay home in Flintshire on 19 November 2021.

The inquest in Ruthin heard how his mother Lisa received a message on 8 November 2021 via social media, from a woman called Chloe Robinson, asking if Kai was her son. The message added: "Tell him thanks for burgling my flat."

In a statement read to the court, Lisa Lloyd said Chloe Robinson had been in the media, claiming her baby's ashes had been stolen in a burglary - a claim which was untrue.

An investigation report from North Wales Police later concluded the alleged burglary victim had "lied to police" and "it now appears that said property was never stolen in the first place".

Media reports about the alleged stolen ashes attracted social media comments, and although Kai was not named in the posts, his mother said people "knew it was him".

The "online posts were really upsetting", she said.

She added that Kai had been diagnosed with mild ADHD, and as part of that condition, other peoples' opinions really mattered to him.

"It would have hurt him deeply," she said, "especially when this was not true".

Kai was arrested at home, but nothing was found. He was taken to a police station and later released under investigation.

Police said they would be in touch, the inquest heard, but had not contacted the family by the time of his death.

His mother said Kai "withdrew into himself" after the arrest and "would keep asking me whether I had heard anything from the police", because his ADHD meant sometimes "a minute could feel like days".

When she talked to him about the alleged burglary, she said her son told her he had gone into the house because the woman who lived there had said he could use the toilet whenever he wanted, but denied taking anything.

In a joint statement between her and her husband John, Mrs Lloyd said her son was being bullied online after the allegations.

The inquest heard that one 19-year-old urged Kai to kill himself.

She had no concerns on the night before he died, describing how she had heard him "laughing and joking".

She described him as a "caring, loving" boy, and said her "family is completely shattered".

He had been "clearly hiding his worries", she said, adding that he could not bear to have anyone "think bad of him".

The inquest heard from Susan Messham, Kai's head of year and pastoral coordinator at Connah's Quay High School in Flintshire.

On 8 November, she "overheard some boys talking that Kai had been arrested and that was the first I heard".

"He told me... he'd done nothing wrong," she added.

After the conversation, Ms Messham said she rang Kai's parents' landline and left a message saying she had spoken to Kai about the allegations.

The court heard his parents said they never got that message.

James Forber, head teacher of Connah's Quay High School, told the inquest he was not in post at the time of Kai's death.

The court heard improvements had been made at the school in terms of how to deal with such scenarios.

Senior coroner John Gittins told the inquest he would wait for reports from North Wales Police regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with suspects with ADHD, before deciding whether he should make a prevention of future deaths report.

Delivering a narrative conclusion, he said: "Around 8 November 2021, unsubstantiated allegations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a 14-year-old child.

"Likely falsehoods were subsequently embellished and exaggerated through the medium of social media.

"On 11 November, he was questioned by the police and following his interview he was released whilst investigations continued."

Mr Gittins concluded: "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."

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