Connor Lee Mark Slade, 13, was found dead in the grounds of Melin Primary, Mile End Row, Neath in the early hours of January 29 this year
A 13 year old lad discovered unresponsive in the grounds of a primary school had stormed out of his home following an argument, hoping someone would come searching for him, a coroner has determined.
Connor Lee Mark Slade from Neath had no history of suicidal thoughts or self-harm intentions and frequently bolted from the house after rows but would typically settle down and come back, an inquest into the teenager’s death was told.
Connor, who his mother Louise Morgan described as “a happy boy, one of the lads, a joker and leader of the pack” was discovered dead in the grounds of Melin Primary, Mile End Row, Neath in the early hours of January 29 this year.
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The inquest on July 25 was told that the 13 year old had a solid circle of mates but had been kicked out of several schools, had 100 police convictions and was getting support from Neath Port Talbot social services.
He also abused aerosols and occasionally smoked cannabis, detective constable Siobhan Danaher informed the hearing in Swansea.
Connor, who had eight siblings, lived with his father Keiran Slade before returning to live with his mother in Neath aged 10.
Though he had “a quick temper” he had always settled down after disagreements, the inquest was told.
Connor’s relationship with his father was described as being positive until roughly nine months before his death. The inquest was told that on January 28, the day before his tragic passing, Connor had been out and returned home at about 9.30pm, reports Wales Online.
He seemed cheerful and was engaged with his phone, according to what his mother and stepfather Jason Clark informed the police investigation. However, after noticing a bottle of vodka and an aerosol were missing, they confronted the 13 year old, leading to a dispute.
Connor began “kicking off” and left the house shoeless, only to come back briefly to fetch them before exiting again, this time threatening to “jump off a bridge”, the inquest heard.
Following the incident, the teenager’s mother and stepfather disclosed to the police that Connor had previously made similar threats, which they did not take seriously as he would usually return, assistant coroner Paul Bennett noted. Nevertheless, Jason went out to search for Connor but couldn’t locate him after scouring the street and came back home.
In the early hours of January 29, as the couple’s friends David “Dai” Morrow and Amy Winslade, who were visiting, departed the house, Louise was calling the police to report Connor as missing. It was then that Louise and Jason were startled by Amy’s scream: “Connor, Connor”.
Dai had discovered Connor’s body in the playground of Melin Primary School nearby.
Jason, who had experience as a lifeguard, dashed out and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics arrived six minutes later.
Tragically, Connor was pronounced dead shortly after at 3.43am on January 29, as DC Danaher relayed to the hearing.
Two reports by forensic pathologist Dr John Williams concluded that the medical cause of Connor’s death was ligature self suspension. Although traces of alcohol and cannabis were detected in his system, these were not at fatal levels and did not contribute to his death.
Testimony from Gary Chambers, a wellbeing key worker employed by the education department at Neath Port Talbot Council, was also presented at the hearing.
Mr Chambers, who had worked closely with Connor since 2023, seeing him up to three times a week and visiting him at home over 12 months during that period, described the teenager as “engaging and receptive”.
“I found him polite and respectful,” Mr Chamber’s evidence read out, continued, “Connor was often cheerful and engaging with a remarkable sense of humour but had periods of dysregulation.”
Mr Chambers expressed his shock and sadness at Connor’s death, stating that at no point had the teenager shown any inclination towards self harm or suicide.
Assistant coroner David Bennett recorded a narrative verdict, stating that the circumstances did not suggest that Connor intended to take his own life.
“Connor left the house and said he was going to “jump off a bridge”. Jason and Louise considered this “flippant” and not serious intent. They believed he would calm down and return….
“It would appear that following the argument on January 29 Connor left in a state of mind that prevented him thinking clearly. I do not take his remark that he was going to jump off a bridge as anything other than impulsive – something born of temper rather than of intention.
“There is no evidence Connor had suicidal ideation and there was no history of self harm.”
The coroner noted that there was similarly no evidence discovered on the teenager’s mobile phone to indicate he planned to deliberately take his own life.
“History suggests Connor had a quick and violent temper he found it hard to control. In my view this was not a deliberate act on Connor’s part to end his own life.
“I am not satisfied Connor intended to end his life. Intent cannot be presumed, so I give a narrative conclusion.
“We will never know but I consider it likely that he had an altercation about missing aerosol and alcohol and Connor’s temper got the better of him. Acting on impulse he went to the school and took the step he did thinking someone would come looking for him before it was fatal.”
Expressing his sympathies to Connor’s relatives present at the hearing, the assistant coroner addressed them: “Losing a loved one is never an easy process. When someone dies in these circumstances it makes it harder. I hope in the light of these findings will give you some closure to Connor’s passing.”