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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Katie Weston

Boy, 12, crushed by wall 'lay dying with dad for hours until mum called them for dinner'

A 12-year-old boy lay dying next to his dad for two hours after being crushed by a garage wall, it has been reported.

Scott-Swaley Daniel Stevens died after a wall attached to a house in Clacton, Essex collapsed on Friday evening, said police.

Emergency services were called out just before 7pm and firefighters managed to free him from the rubble, but he died at the scene.

Paying tribute, his devastated parents said he was a "well-loved boy" with lots of friends, that he "will be missed by so many" and that "as a family, we cannot explain the hurt we feel and we are broken".

Scott-Swaley and his dad Scott, who were working in their garden, had been trapped under a pile of rubble for two hours until his mum Charmaine Lee went outside to call them in for dinner,

Firefighters managed to free the schoolboy from the rubble, but he died at the scene (East Anglia News Service)

Charmaine alerted emergency services, but the schoolboy died in the garden - speaking to his father "until he took his last breath", reports the Daily Mail.

Family friend Scott Pepper, 47, said: "All I can really say is that father and son spent all their time when not working and [at] school together."

Police are not treating the incident as suspicious.

A family tribute, released through Essex Police, said: "After a tragic accident, our son Scott-Swaley has sadly passed away.

"As a family, we cannot explain the hurt we feel and we are broken.

Emergency services were called out just before 7pm (East Anglia News Service)

"Our Swaley was a well-loved boy who had friends not only in Clacton, but also in Dartford and Wickford and will be missed by so many.

"As a family, we would like to ask for privacy at this difficult time whilst we come to terms with our loss.

"We appreciate and would like to say thank you for all of the kind tributes to our boy."

Detective Inspector James Hardingham, leading the investigation, said: "My thoughts are with the family and friends of those concerned at this sad time.

"We're continuing our enquiries to establish the facts leading to the wall collapse."

Police are not treating the incident as suspicious (East Anglia News Service)

Police are asking anyone who has information or who saw anything that could help the investigation to make contact.

The house the garage was attached to has been made safe.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service station manager Nick Singleton has also said that "our thoughts are with everyone who knew the child as well as the wider Clacton community".

He added: "Our firefighters worked incredibly hard to save both casualties and this is never the outcome we want to see.

"We will be offering further support to all of the firefighters who attended this difficult incident."

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