A GRIEVING family paid tribute to their late son during an inquest which failed to establish exactly how he had died.

Sam Clowrey died at the age of 13, in the Royal London Hospital last September, after a decision was made to turn off his life support machine.

He was airlifted to hospital after he was found by his twin brother Mack, hanging from his bathroom door with a dressing gown cord around his neck.

Caroline Beasley-Murray, senior coroner for Essex, yesterday recorded an open verdict, saying she was not sure beyond reasonable doubt the teenager had made an informed and deliberate action to take his life. The incident occurred at Sam’s home in Fermoy Road, Thorpe Bay, on August 29, last year.

A post mortem carried out at Southend Hospital concluded Sam’s death was caused by bronchial pneumonia due to a hypoxic brain injury caused by the hanging.

Chelmsford Coroners’ Court heard yesterday Sam, a student at Thorpe Hall School, was last spoken to by his mother on the afternoon of August 29, when she told him off for using her credit card.

He left a note for her that read: “I will never do anything like that again, love Sam.”

Sam’s father, Jason Clowrey, said in court: “Our beloved son Sam was a wonderful young man with the world at his feet.

“His passing has left a hole in our lives and theywill never be the same again. He will forever be in our thoughts and in our hearts.”

Mrs Beasley-Murray said: “I am not going to record that he killed himself.

“Wewill never quite knowwhat was going through that young man’s head.

“He was clearly very intelligent, but youngsters can be so impulsive. I have read Sam’s note and it is not clear from it he was going to take his life.”

After Sam was found by his brother, two ambulances and several police cars went to the scene, closing Fermoy Road for almost an hour, before he was airlifted to hospital.

Police concluded there were no suspicious circumstances around Sam’s death and that he had no significant medical history.