Butlin's tragedy: James Manning's death ruled accidental

James Manning had been enjoying a trip to Bognor in West Sussex with his mother and grandmother when tragedy struck.

The two women were visibly emotional in court as the coroner told them the toddler, who had enlarged tonsils, had been let down by the NHS but that earlier intervention might not have saved his life.

An inquest into the toddler’s death previously heard how the youngster began choking outside a restaurant at the popular resort.

Paramedics racing to help two-year-old James, from Battle, were forced to abandon their ambulance and dash to the scene on foot after finding the road blocked by closed gates and bollards, the hearing was told.

On Friday, assistant coroner Karen Harrold concluded that James's death was accidental.

Butlins in Bognor

She said: "The NHS did let James down as an earlier intervention may have reduced the chances of James choking on 6th of June, but I cannot conclude that James's life would have been saved by an earlier intervention.

"This was a fast-moving, distressing incident for everyone involved in the effort to save James's life."

Read more on this story:

Paramedics delayed in trying to reach choking boy at holiday park - inquest told

Two year old died after choking at Butlin's - inquest told

She added the gravity of the circumstances meant earlier intervention from the paramedics could not have saved his life, and that everyone at Butlin's did their best for him.

Turning to his mother and grandmother, Mrs Harrold said the conclusion of accidental death was "in no way intended to trivialise what can only be described as a horrendous occasion that occurred on the 6th of June and I am sure will remain with you for life".

She added: "My heart goes out to you."

James's grandmother Angela Knight had claimed that had James had earlier treatment, he would still be alive.

James Manning

The coroner also made a number of recommendations for improvement following James's death, including calling on Butlin's to develop a national system for managing health and safety across its sites.

James's mother Natalie Reeves bowed her head as the coroner told the hearing in Crawley, West Sussex, about the lead-up to his death.

She and members of her family wore T-shirts dedicated to her son, with hers reading "Justice For James".

Speaking to the PA news agency after the inquest, she discussed the lasting impact of the events at Butlin's: "I can literally close my eyes and recall it in a second.

"The inquest obviously has been very difficult to hear because they've been repeating the events of the day several times and every appointment, and everything that's been mentioned, I was there for every second of it."

Holding an Iggle Piggle soft toy - James's favourite - Ms Reeves said she was not satisfied with the inquest's conclusion.

"I think it just was not fair on James," she said.

She criticised the safety measures at Butlin's and said more needs to be done.

Days before the tragedy, Ms Reeves had called to ask about James's place on a hospital waiting list, and told a hospital secretary: "If you do not do something for my son, something bad is going to happen."

She described her son as "a very clever boy" who "loved helping out, getting involved".

They had been eating breakfast in the packed Ocean Drive restaurant when he got into difficulty.

James was eventually taken to hospital but died two weeks later, on June 20 2018.

The inquest resumed in March 2021 following a lengthy adjournment during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jon Hendry Pickup, managing director at Butlin's, said: "James' death was a tragedy and we continue to send our condolences to his family and friends. No words can begin to address their loss.

"The safety and wellbeing of our guests is of utmost importance and we continually look to learn from any incident that happens on our sites to ensure we keep everyone as safe as possible."