Tragedy: Kyle Winterbottom, 16, fell 40 foot to
his death from a third-floor balcony while at a party in Oldham, Greater
Manchester
A teenage boy who plummeted 40 feet
to his death at a party may have had his drink spiked with ecstasy and
ketamine - a veterinary drug used to sedate horses.
Kyle
Winterbottom, 16, lost his footing and fell to the ground from a third
floor balcony rail while trying to climb down to a flat located on the
floor below.
The teenager - a talented rugby player, boxer, and swimmer - was taken to hospital but later died from multiple injuries.
Tests have revealed he had traces in his system of ecstasy and ketamine, a powerful drug used as an anaesthetic by vets.
Police were today asked to reopen the
investigation in to Kyle's death after his friend told an inquest drugs
were slipped into his drink before the party at an apartment block in
Oldham, Greater Manchester.
Coroner Simon Nelson adjourned the
hearing after friends and family insisted Kyle did not ever use ecstasy
or ketamine and may have unwittingly taken both without knowing.
The
accident occurred in August last year after Kyle met friends for drinks
before going to a party being held in a flat on the third floor of the
apartment block. He was apparently trying to climb to another flat
located on the second level of a building where a different party was
being held when he fell.
Joy
Conroy, 16, a close friend of Kyle said: 'At first he seemed normal -
he was having a joke with everyone. I had no concerns. But at the party
when I was on the balcony he came out with his head in his hands. He
seemed angry but I didn’t know why.
'He
seemed in a bit of a mood but I didn’t know why. He just looked angry.
He went downstairs was gone for about four minutes and when he came back
upstairs I asked him "what’s up?’" Kyle said, "I f****** love you" and
gave me a hug. I said, "I love you too" and I just thought he was being
nice.
40ft drop: The scene where Kyle Winterbottom
fell from a third-floor balcony in Oldham, Greater Manchester, while at a
party with friends
Missed: Floral tributes to 16-year-old Kyle Winterbottom shortly after his death in August last year
'But then he turned and he had his back to me. When
I walked over to him, he was sat on the balcony with his back to me. I
was at the side of him, when I grabbed his right hand.'
Joy
said she was worried he may fall and urged him to get down but told the
hearing Kyle said: ‘Joy get off me, f****** get off me’
She told the inquest she eventually
gave up and turned away for a few seconds before looking back round to
see just Kyle’s curled finger tips holding on to the top of the wall.
His little and ring finger slid off off the ledge before Joy heard a
thud below.
Promising future: Kyle Winterbottom was a talented rugby player, boxer and swimmer
Joy immediately ran down stairs and
saw a crowd standing around Kyle. He had been put in the recovery
position and onlookers were screaming.
In
her statement, she added: 'I couldn’t bear to look at Kyle. My hope was
when paramedics placed him on a board that he was going to be okay -
that was the last time I actually saw him and I still can’t believe what
happened.'
She added:
'I heard rumours that he had been spiked, that it had been put in his
drink. I heard that a day or two after it happened, and that it happened
before he got to the flat.
'I think he might have tried to climb down to the lower balcony.'
Neighbour
Jon Price an insulation engineer who lived in a flat on the second
floor said: 'I opened the front door and I immediately saw two legs - it
appeared that the person was hanging from the balcony above.'
He heard a scratching noise, as
though the boy was moving his feet against the wall, but the boy then
fell backwards to his death.
'The
person fell and he had landed on a gate below. He toppled and bounced
off the gate to the floor.
'People were saying he had fallen, saying he
had tried to jump from one balcony to the balcony below.'
Adjourning the inquest Mr Nelson said: 'I am concerned about the origin of the Ecstasy and the Ketamine.
'I
feel it is essential that the possible involvement of a third party
with regard to the distribution of those drugs or the ingestion of those
drugs against the will of the deceased is found out. That can only be
done if there is a thorough investigation.'
Hearing: Kyle Winterbottom's mother Joanne,
left, and Uncle Allan, right, outside Phoenix House in Heywood, Greater
Manchester, where the inquest into the teenager's death was held
An inquest in to Kyle Winterbottom's death heard that he had traces of ecstasy and ketamine in his system
He said he was also concerned
to hear that the youths were extremely abusive to the attending
paramedics and police officers attending the scene.
Kyle Winterbottom's sister Keelie, pictured
after the inquest, welcomed the reopening of the investigation in to her
brother's death
'I find it extremely distasteful and upsetting when somebody is in desperate need of attention.'
Kyle, the third youngest of eight
children to parents Joanne and Jimmy, was set to receive good GCSE
grades from Hathershaw College in Oldham.
He took part in a triathlon event in Liverpool and played rugby for the youth team at Oldham St Annes Rugby Club.
Outside court, Kyle’s uncle Allan
Winterbottom, 39, said: 'He was a top lad, a loving kid. He was there
for all of his mates. We are shocked with the police investigation,
Joanne has been trying to call them so many times but they don’t return
her calls.
'I have
heard so many rumours to just leave it at that but I am hoping that it
was a tragic accident. We’ve had no closure at all, We just want the
truth.
'Kyle loved his rugby and a natural boxer. He would train in Shaw and enjoyed getting his fitness up.
'He
was naturally gifted at boxing, but he wasn’t competing yet. He was a
bright lad and had everything going for him, he gained 13 GCSEs. He had
his whole life ahead of him.'
Sister
Keelie, 20, said: 'He was the best brother, we were so close. There was
eight of us all together and we miss him terribly. I am really happy
police are going to investigate further so we can find out what really
happened.'
Tributes: From left to right, Kyle's friends
Leighton Brown, 19, Carlton Ellison, 18, Sean Docherty, 18 and Lee
Bailey, 16, stand behind tributes to the 16-year-old at the scene where
he died
Heartbroken: Friends and family members left heartfelt messages to Kyle Winterbottom at the scene where he died
'Sleep tight': A friend wearing a tribute on a jumper to 16-year-old Kyle Winterbottom after his death
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