THE heartbroken family of a boy who died after inhaling toxic fumes have said they have been left “utterly devastated.”
Tommie-lee Gracie Billington tragically died after inhaling a Lynx deodorant aerosol while at a sleepover with friends, a coroner ruled.
Tommie-lee’s dad, Graham Billington, said he’s heartbroken following his son’s deathCredit: Collect
Tommie-Lee tragically died after inhaling a Lynx deodorant aerosol
The 11-year-old was unresponsive at his pal’s house in just after noon in March 2024.
Tommie-lee’s friend’s mother had been dropping one of her other kids off at a weekend activity when she returned home and was hit by a strong smell in the house.
She went into the bedroom, “rolled Tommie-lee over” on the bed and saw a “tinge of blue” to him before immediately calling an ambulance.
The schoolboy was rushed to hospital, and doctors tried to resuscitate him for more than an hour.
Tragically he couldn’t be saved and was declared dead shortly after.
A group chat was created on the night of a sleepover on March 1, Preston Coroner’s heard.
One of the children in the chat later told police that during a video call Tommie-lee and a friend were seen inhaling the toxic substances.
The Snapchat video of the boys inhaling the deodorant was labelled “This is what we are doing.”
Coroner Emma Mather said that because of his young age, he would not have understood the grave risks involved and the tragedy was recorded “as death by misadventure.”
The hearing was told that messages in the group chat described Tommie-lee as looking pale and unwell.
His friend said he did not want to continue, but others told him to carry on.
The 11-year-old was unresponsive at his pal’s house in LancasterCredit: Collect
Police said that Tommie-lee’s friend, whose home he was staying at, told officers they had been “doing it for a laugh”.
The boy’s mum Sherri urged parents to keep their children away from social media apps following the tragedy.
She said: “This cost my son his life from trying something other kids are doing.
“Please talk to your children about the consequences of this. It is beyond me why anyone would even try this! It’s so dangerous!”
However, revealed that a search of both boys’ mobile phones uncovered no internet searches or messages linked to trends.
Detective Chief Inspector Dylan Hrynkow said: “The evidence we’ve gathered indicates another child at a skate park showed them how to do it. There is nothing to suggest this originated online.”
The parents of the boy where Tommie-lee was having the sleepover were asked if they had seen the young boys inhaling aerosols before.
They claimed that they had caught both boys inhaling toxic substances in a bedroom three months prior to the tragedy.
Tommie-lee’s parents firmly denied having been informed about the earlier incident.
In an emotional statement, Tommie-lee’s father Graham Billington said: “He was just a beautiful boy. He was a whirlwind – full of life and energy.
“I really miss him. I am just really, really upset.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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