A mum has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her young son who died after becoming entangled in a rope swing while playing with friends.
Riain Brennan-Byrne, 10, had been playing with a swing made from a blue cord wrapped around the branches of a tree while visiting his mum in Leicestershire during the summer holidays.
He became tangled in the rope and was discovered by his friends who immediately ran for help. Despite resuscitation attempts, the youngster sadly died in hospital an hour later.
At an inquest into the incident, his mum Niamh said she has been left heartbroken by the loss of her son, saying he was "always her king" and has "left a huge void in our lives".
Niamh told the hearing: "I am here with a broken heart. The loss of my son is nothing I could have prepared for", reports Leicester Mercury.
She continued: "He was always my king and was loved by his brothers and step-sister. They miss him so much.
"He has left a huge void in our lives. He will always be with us and I will always be his mother."
The hearing was told how heard how Riain, who lived in Ireland with his dad Derek, had been visiting his mum near Coalville on August 7 last year when he entered Holly Hayes Wood to play with friends.
He was discovered at around 7pm after being brought down by his friends' parents, and CPR was performed by a number of people.
Paramedics from East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) were also called to the scene and found that Riain had suffered a compression to the neck and was unresponsive.
He was rushed by ambulance to the Leicester Royal Infirmary but was pronounced dead at 8.06pm.
Coroner Ivan Cartwright found Riain had displayed no intent to harm himself and ultimately cause his death. He ruled that the youngster had died of a ligature around the neck which had caused a neck compression.
Ruling the death an accident, he said: "These were the kind of swings many of us will have played with as children I am sure. The only conclusion I can find is accidental death. This was a tragic accident.
"I pass on my very, very sincere condolences to you all. I am so sorry for your loss."
Last year, a fundraiser was set up to bring Riain home from England to his final resting place.
The iDonate page, which has raised over £17,500 at the time of writing, says: "[Riain] was 10 years of age and had his whole life ahead of him.
"We are all so heartbroken and devastated. Thinking of all his family and his two little brothers at this horrific time.
"He was the kindest little child with a huge heart and will be sadly missed by all his family friends and every one who had the pleasure to know him."
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
