Teen dies from drinking vodka at house party after friends drew on his face instead of dialling 999, inquest hears

The family of a 16-year-old boy who died after drinking a bottle of vodka have blasted his friends – who took pictures of him as he lay dying instead of dialling 999.

Jake Wheatcroft had been celebrating New Year's Eve at a friend’s house when he collapsed after drinking a 700ml bottle of 40 per cent proof Ciroc vodka.

An inquest heard his friends drew obscene pictures on his face, hit him with a tea towel and poured water on his crotch before taking photographs of him as he lay unconscious.

Despite being unable to wake him, the three other boys at the party failed to call an ambulance and one even left the room to play on an Xbox.

The alarm was finally raised when one of the boys fetched Jake’s parents who dialled 999 at around 11am on New Year's Day last year.

Paramedics rushed to the house in Glebe Avenue, Pinxton, Nottinghamshire, but were unable to save Jake and he was pronounced dead at 11.48am.

Derby and Derbyshire Coroner’s Court heard he died from “acute ethanol toxicity” and had a blood alcohol level of 316mg per 100ml of blood – almost four times the drink drive limit.

Speaking after the inquest on Wednesday, Jake’s aunt Maxine Benford, 55, accused his friends of “having blood on their hands”.

She said: “They could have saved him. He was unconscious and they took pictures of him as a joke when they should have been dialling 999.

“The pictures were handed to the coroner at the inquest. I saw it as it got passed to him.

“It showed Jake lying down with his arms up and someone had lifted his top up so his tummy was on show.

“It should have been obvious to anyone that he was in trouble yet his friends did nothing.

“We, the family, want justice. The police should be investigating why his friends didn’t raise the alarm earlier.

“If you put someone in the recovery position then surely you know something is very wrong. Jake could have been saved. To me, his friends have blood on their hands.”

The inquest heard one of Jake’s friends tried to wake him up but when he was unable to he left the living room and went to play on his Xbox.

Another friend said he found Jake had “stiff arms”. He told the court he “knew immediately that he was dead”.

He ran to Jake’s parents’ house one door down the road and told his dad Carl who dialled 999.

Derbyshire Coroner Dr Robert Hunter asked the boy why he didn’t call the emergency services himself, to which the teenager replied: “I just panicked and wanted to get Jake’s dad.”

The inquest heard the investigation into Jake’s death had been dogged by a string of lies from the boys at the party.

One of the boys initially claimed he found Jake lying lifeless but then changed his statement to say he had checked his pulse and breathing.

Two of the other youngsters also said Jake had been drinking from the vodka bottle but his fingerprints were not found on it.

Detective Constable Chris Yapp, of Derbyshire police, said: “The lies have added extra stress to Jake’s parents.

“His friends said they were fearful of the repercussions if they told the truth.”

In a letter sent to coroner, Jake’s dad Carl, 60, and mum Amanda, 58, said: “We had so many messages from people saying how kind-hearted and wonderful he was after his death.

“There were rows of boys outside our house in tears. He was a credit to our family and was well liked.

“Our lives have been ruined forever.

“Life itself will never be the same as it once was. We just want this inquest to be taken seriously and for no more lies to be told so that we can finally find out the truth for Jake.”

Returning a narrative verdict, the coroner said: “Although I can appreciate why they [his friends] concocted a story, I don’t think they realise the consequences of their actions.

“The impact on his friends will be with them for a long time. It will be with the family for even longer.

“Clearly we are never going to stop teenagers from drinking. But I want to make one message clear: please if your friend falls unconscious from drinking or any other reason, call 999.

“You won’t be in trouble but you might just save a life.

“I find it quite bizarre that not one individual in that house used their initiative to phone the police when they found a dead body on their floor.

“In the 17 years that I have been a coroner I have never come across a situation like that.”

SWNS