Schoolboy, 15, may have accidentally hanged himself with school bag while swinging in trees

[caption id="attachment_2938" align="aligncenter" width="306"] James Jones may have accidentally hanged himself with his school bag while swinging from branches in woodland near his home in Salford, Greater Manchester[/caption]

James Jones may have got tangled in the cord of his bag, inquest hears Schoolboy, who had skipped class that day, enjoyed swinging in trees  He was found by a dog walker and pronounced dead at the scene on April 28 Model pupil had written a note saying he was ‘fed up’ and ‘don’t be sad’ Coroner says ‘something horrible went wrong’ in the tragic accident A boy of 15 may have accidentally hanged himself with his school bag while climbing trees. James Jones is feared to have become tangled in the cord of the bag as he clambered through branches in woodland near his home.
The teenager was playing truant from school and a note suggesting he was feeling depressed was found in his pocket, an inquest heard. But the coroner said his family were convinced James did not intend to take his life. He recorded a verdict of misadventure and blamed the tragedy on ‘youthful exuberance’. James, of Clifton, Salford, was said to be an ‘exemplary student’ at Harper Green High School in Farnworth, Bolton, excelling in art and also pursuing hobbies including chess, sailing and scuba-diving. He could read and write Japanese. His family said he had a ‘heart of gold’ and was a hard-working, polite, conscientious boy. But he was also a fearless tree climber and loved nothing better than to play, high up in the branches, his sister Ashleigh, 21, said. Tragedy struck on April 28, on James’s first day back at school after the Easter holiday. He left to go to school as normal only to slip away to Clifton Marina and Country Park. His mother, Wendy, 43, a care co-ordinator, had no idea James had skipped classes until he was not home by 6pm. Thinking James would be at his friend’s house, she and her husband Barry, 43, were preparing to go there to check when a policeman knocked on the door to say their son’s body had been found by a dog walker. Schoolbooks were strewn around the surrounding area and a note was found in James’s pocket which said he was ‘fed up’ and wanted to leave all of his possessions to his younger brother. But Mrs Jones told the hearing in Bolton: ‘I don’t think he tried to take his life. ‘James had also written “don’t be sad”, but he scribbled that out. ‘I think he was trying to swing up in the tree and got caught. He would never see any danger. ‘He used to jump into the river and say, “It’s not very deep”.’

[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="634"] The schoolboy is thought to have accidentally hanged himself from a tree in Clifton Country Park, Salford[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="634"] The tragedy struck in the park on April 28, James’ first day back at school after the Easter holiday[/caption]