Oldham teenager, 14, described as being ‘full of life’, found dead in his room
A young teenager who was found dead in his room by his mother, may have been ‘messing around’ before he died, according to the police.
During an inquest hearing, the coroner described 14-year-old Ibrahim Shahid’s demise as a profoundly tragic occurrence. A detective inspector described the possibility of a ligature becoming entangled at the top of his bunk bed, Manchester Evening News reports.
The incident occurred on 14 March this year. It was mentioned that the youngster went to school as usual, and his family’s statement recalled him having a snowball fight. After returning home, he went to the mosque and then went to bed after coming back.
The inquest heard that the next morning on 15 March, when his mum went upstairs to his bedroom at around 9am, she found him ‘suspended’ from his bunk bed and unresponsive. Due to industrial action by the teachers that day, he was not meant to go to school.
Shahid was quickly rushed to the Royal Oldham Hospital, but the inquest heard that he could not be saved.
In a statement to the coroner, his family said they cannot accept that it was a ‘deliberate intention’. “He was so full of life,” they added. “The house is empty without him. He was a shining star.”
Described by his family as a talented footballer and a ‘shining star’ who loved cooking, Shahid was a fit and active pupil at Hathershaw College in Oldham. He lived with his parents and siblings in the town and played for Chadderton FC Juniors, hoping to become a footballer when he grew up.
The inquest heard that a pathologist recorded the cause of death as hanging. Shahid’s GP revealed in a statement that there was no history of low mood, anxiety or depression, and the teenager had never expressed any ‘suicidal ideation’.
Detective Inspector Andrew Fink said there were no issues raised by Shahid’s family or his school, and he was a ‘good student’.
Upon inspection of his iPhone, several WhatsApp messages between him and a school friend were found, sent around midnight. However, the inquest heard that there was nothing untoward and they were discussing ‘the shape of the planet’.
The young boy was the son of Shahid Ilyas, 48, a taxi driver, and Saima Jawaid, 44. He had three siblings Ismael, 25, Saher, 24 and Elizah, 18.
Shahid’s uncle Umar Jawaid, 39, said the family was ‘living through a nightmare’.
He told Manchester Evening News: “This has had a massive impact on the whole community. I’ve been to a lot of funerals, unfortunately, in my time but we had to delay the prayers so imams from other mosques could arrive. There were hundreds of people there, pupils and teachers from Hathershaw College and from his primary school, Broadfield primary school. It was incredible.
“He was a care-free soul. He wanted his life to be as stress-free as possible, just to have a joke.”
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