Clacton boy, 12, died helping his dad knock down wall

Scott-Swaley's family previously described him as a "well-loved" boy

A 12-year-boy who was helping his father knock down a garage wall at their home died after it collapsed on both of them, an inquest heard.

Scott-Swaley Stevens died at the scene in St John's Road, Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex, on 21 October last year.

Essex senior coroner Lincoln Brookes concluded his death was an "extraordinarily tragic accident".

"He was a 12-year-old boy with his whole life ahead of him," said Mr Brookes.

The inquest at Essex Coroner's Court in Chelmsford heard the family was largely staying in a caravan at the time while renovating the home ready to sell.

Det Insp James Hardingham, from Essex Police, told the court how Scott-Swaley and his father, Scott Stevens, had just finished dinner that evening when they decided to "rock the wall" only for it to "rock backwards onto them".

Mr Stevens said it felt like they were trapped under the wall for "the next two hours" but Scott-Swaley's mother, Charmaine Lee, told the inquest she believed they were only outside for five minutes.

People tried "frantically" to clear rubble off from the pair

Ms Lee's daughter raised the alarm, shouting to her mother, who then went to the fire station next door shouting "help, my baby is trapped".

Firefighter Simon Tarrant, in a statement read by the coroner, said people were already "frantically trying to move the rubble" when the crew went out.

Mr Stevens told police, in a statement read by the coroner: "The wall fell on to us both after we had rocked it to push it over.

"I didn't use any tools to complete this.

"It fell on to us within seconds which I couldn't stop."

The coroner noted Mr Stevens was "in a great deal of pain and a great deal of distress" after the wall collapsed.

Scott-Swaley died of compression asphyxia and Mr Stevens sustained a suspected broken arm

"The weight of the wall put such pressure on his chest that his heart couldn't work properly," said Mr Brookes.

Scott-Swaley's family previously described him as a "well-loved" boy who would be "missed by so many".