Boy, 14, died after eating poisonous yew tree berries – inquest

boy,-14,-died-after-eating-poisonous-yew-tree-berries-–-inquest
Boy, 14, died after eating poisonous yew tree berries – inquest

A coroner in Manchester has expressed concern about the consumption of berries from trees after a 14-year-old boy died following a visit to a city park. Benn Curran-Nicholls had ingested yew tree berries during a walk around Fletcher Moss Park and died the following day in hospital. At the inquest, Coroner Andrew Bridgman criticised Manchester City Council for not issuing a public health warning following his death, saying it was “illogical”. He said there should also be signs in the park warning visitors of the tree’s poisonous nature.

Mr Bridgman said the boy and his family had moved to Didsbury from Australia in June. He said the medical cause of Benn’s death was “refractory cardiogenic shock due to taxane alkaloid poisoning, following ingestion of yew tree berries and leaves”. Yew tree poisoning is rare, according to Mr Bridgman, but a number of cases had been reported. The inquest heard that the council had not publicised the risks of eating yew tree berries due to concerns over suicide attempts and because it would be telling people not to consume something they “wouldn’t usually be eating”.

A spokesman for Manchester City Council said: “Our thoughts are with the family in this heartbreaking case. It’s a matter which we are taking extremely seriously and we will continue to take advice on best practice and respond to the coroner’s recommendations in due course.” The UK Health Security Agency said it was supporting the council in the aftermath of the tragic incident. Yew trees are common in the UK, and many city parks have warning signs to deter visitors from consuming the potentially poisonous berries.

The coroner’s report was accompanied by a “prevention of future deaths report”, which the council has received. Yew trees are considered some of the oldest trees in the world, and were used in the Middle Ages to create longbows. Interestingly, the red, fleshy part of the yew tree’s fruit and seed case is not poisonous, while the green parts of the tree, such as the leaves, bark, and seeds, all contain toxic substances

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