Loughton 'hit-and-run': Harley Watson died of head injury

Harley Watson's family described him as a "good, kind, helpful and lovely boy"

A schoolboy killed in a suspected hit-and-run crash died of a severe head injury, an inquest has heard.

Harley Watson, 12, was struck by a car outside Debden Park High School in Loughton, Essex, on 2 December.

He was taken to Whipps Cross University Hospital in east London but was pronounced dead at 16:43 GMT, the coroners' court in Chelmsford was told.

Terence Glover, 51, of Loughton, has been charged with Harley's murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

At a two-minute inquest opening on Tuesday, Essex coroner's officer Lynsey Chaffe said that post-mortem examination at St Thomas' Hospital on 6 December gave Harley's provisional medical cause of death as a severe head injury.

Essex senior coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray asked for "the court's sympathy be expressed to Harley's family at this very difficult time" and adjourned the inquest until a date to be fixed.

The crash happened outside Debden Park High School

Mr Glover, of Newman Lane, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday and will return to court for a plea hearing on 31 January.

The attempted murder charges relate to 23-year-old Raquel Jimeno and six boys and three girls aged between 12 and 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Mr Glover is also accused of driving a Ford Ka dangerously in Willingale Road.