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Conley Thompson: Superhero themed funeral for boy who died after playing in building site

The little boy is understood to have died after accidentally falling into a pipe at a construction site

Siobhan Fenton
Tuesday 11 August 2015 12:28 EDT
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The coffin of seven year old Conley Thompson leaving St Thomas and St James Church in Worsbrough Dale after his funeral took place
The coffin of seven year old Conley Thompson leaving St Thomas and St James Church in Worsbrough Dale after his funeral took place

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Family and friends have celebrated the life of Conley Thompson with a superhero themed funeral.

The seven-year-old boy died while playing on a building site in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Conley's mother, Paula, wore a Marvel comic dress, while his grandmother wore leggings patterned with the superheroes and a red T-shirt that read Conley and Super Nan-nan.

Reverend Trevor Keightley described Conley as a "loveable rogue" and said the young boy, who would have celebrated his eighth birthday on Monday, loved climbing and music, and was "cheeky".

The coffin of seven year old Conley Thompson leaving St Thomas and St James Church in Worsbrough Dale after his funeral took place
The coffin of seven year old Conley Thompson leaving St Thomas and St James Church in Worsbrough Dale after his funeral took place
Undated handout photo issued by South Yorkshire Police of Conley Thompson, 7, from Barnsley
Undated handout photo issued by South Yorkshire Police of Conley Thompson, 7, from Barnsley (PA)
The coffin of seven year old Conley Thompson arriving at St Thomas and St James Church in Worsbrough Dale where his funeral is taking place
The coffin of seven year old Conley Thompson arriving at St Thomas and St James Church in Worsbrough Dale where his funeral is taking place
Family and friends wore comic book themed clothes at the little boy's funeral
Family and friends wore comic book themed clothes at the little boy's funeral (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

The coffin was decorated with Marvel comics pictures and a mourner dressed as Spiderman rode atop a horsedrawn hearse carrying his remains into St Thomas and St James' Church in Worsbrough.

Mourners outside St Thomas and St James Church in Worsbrough Dale before the funeral of seven year year old Conley Thompson.
Mourners outside St Thomas and St James Church in Worsbrough Dale before the funeral of seven year year old Conley Thompson.

His grandmother has spoken of the family's grief, describing Conley as “a lovely little lad, boisterous, got into anything and everything but his smile could light up a room".

A search for Conley was launched on when he failed to return home after telling his mother he was going to play with friends.

His body was found the next day in a vertical pipe on the building site. A post-mortem examination found that Conley died after becoming stuck in the vertical pipe.

South Yorkshire Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

Detectives have appealed for anyone who may have seen him after 6pm on Sunday July 26 to come forward.

Additional reporting by PA

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