WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington, 11, was found unresponsive after inhaling fumes from a Lynx deodorant can, an inquest has heard
An 11 year old boy from Lancaster tragically lost his life after inhaling fumes from a deodorant can, an inquest has revealed.
Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington sadly passed away during a sleepover at a friends house, where he was discovered unresponsive alongside a can of Lynx deodorant.
The hearing at Preston Coroners Court on Friday February 27, disclosed that the young boy had spent the night at his friend’s place on March 1, 2024, with the pair spending their evening engrossed in computer games before going to sleep. The following day, Tommie-Lee was found lifeless by his friend’s mum.
During the inquest, the father of Tommie-Lee’s friend admitted that he had previously caught the boys inhaling fumes from deodorant cans. This activity, often dubbed ‘chroming’ on the internet, was described by the boy as inducing a high and was something they did “for a laugh”.
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Tommie- Lee’s unnamed friend, due to legal restrictions, confessed to his parents that he had picked up the trend from an older boy at the local skatepark. The matter was subsequently reported to the elder boy’s school and the police.
The friend’s parents told the inquest that they had informed Tommie-Lee’s parents about the incident. However, Sherri Ann Gracie and Graham Billington refuted these allegations, insisting they were never made aware of the situation, reports Lancs Live.
Friends of the lads informed police that the pair had been on a video call that evening, during which they were seen inhaling substances on a Snapchat group chat. As per the police statement from one of the boys, Tommie-Lee had inhaled an entire can of Lynx deodorant that morning before opting to take a nap.
Tragically, he was discovered unresponsive in a bunk bed at midday and was later pronounced dead at Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
DCI Dylan Hrynkwo, the senior officer on duty at the time of the incident, revealed that upon inspecting the house, officers discovered a can of Lynx in the bed and several others scattered around the room. Concerns about ‘chroming’ prompted the police to scrutinise social media content and the boys’ mobile phones to determine if this had influenced them to inhale the gases.
However, after only uncovering videos warning others against participating in the ‘craze’, DCI Hrynkwo suggested that social media did not incite the boys to get involved. Nonetheless, he noted that “the internet is almost a living beast” and is constantly evolving, implying that harmful videos may have been removed previously.
During the inquest, family members reminisced about their cherished memories of Tommie-Lee. His father Graham expressed: “I will never forget him, he was such a lovely boy”.
His grandmother Tina Burns added: “He was just a beautiful boy, he was our little whirlwind, there was no stopping him. He was just full of life, full of energy.”
Coroner Emma Mather confirmed that Tommie-Lee’s cause of death was inhalational asphyxiation and cardiac arrest following the inhalation of butane and other ‘volatile substances’. She determined his death constituted a ‘misadventure’, given that Tommie-Lee was considered too young to have grasped the dangers involved.
She said: “Tommy-Lee was a beautiful little boy. He had his whole life ahead of him. Both boys were playing video games and were observed by friends on a snapchat call to be using aerosols. It is likely they were spraying aerosols through a towel and taking a deep breath to experience the effects.
“The boys had been able to inhale aerosols without interruption. if the parents had been aware I have no doubt they would have stepped in. I find that it is more likely than not the two boys had been introduced to this by an older boy at the park.
“It is not possible to explain why there was a missed opportunity to inform Sherri Ann and Graham. It is my finding that, had this happened, Tommie-Lee’s parents would have been aware of this and would have spoke to him about it.”
