Boy, two, died by choking on piece of banana as his shocked police officer uncle answered mother’s 999 call but couldn’t revive him, inquest hears
- Dylan John James Greig, 2, was given a small piece of banana before his bedtime
- Inquest heard mother found him choking after leaving the room for 30 seconds
- Danielle Butterly tried to dislodge food and called 999 before performing CPR
- The toddler’s uncle unknowingly responded to emergency call as a police officer
- Death was ruled accidental by coroner after Dylan died in hospital from choking
A toddler died when he choked on a piece of banana in a freak accident just before bedtime, an inquest has heard.
Dylan John James Greig, two, was given the piece of sliced banana instead of a bedtime bottle by his mother.
Danielle Butterley left the room for ‘no more than 30 seconds’ and returned to find her son lying on his back.
An inquest heard the 30-year-old mother battled to save Dylan – and the family rang 999 for help.
A coroner ruled the death of two-year-old Dylan John James Greig (pictured) was accidental after he choked on a slice of banana given to him before bed and became lodged in his throat
The court heard her own brother-in-law PC Brian Williams was on duty and raced to the 999 call not realising it was his own nephew who was choking.
Danielle told the inquest in Ruthin, Noth Wales, she had given him the piece of banana just before bedtime instead of his bottle.
She said she patted his back and ‘was trying anything’ to revive him at their home in St Asaph, North Wales, in July this year.
‘I quickly realised something was wrong. He was flapping his arms around and I could see he was choking,’ she said in in a statement.
‘I was trying anything. I can’t describe the sound that came from him.’
Danielle called 999 and was given advice by ambulance control on how to help Dylan.
An inquest heard mother Danielle Butterley tried anything she could to revive her son Dylan after he began choking on a banana which was ‘completely stuck fast and wasn’t moving’
She said she found a piece of banana in her son’s throat ‘completely stuck fast and wasn’t moving’.
Police officers were called with paramedics – but it was only when PC Williams arrived at the house that he realised the child was his nephew.
PC Williams, whose wife is Ms Butterley’s sister, said he was ‘incredibly shocked’ on entering the house to find his sister-in-law ‘carrying out chest compressions on my two-year-old nephew’.
He led Danielle from the room while paramedics tried to resuscitate Dylan who was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd hospital in Bodelwyddan but died later that evening.
‘I will never be able to forget that night,’ PC Williams added.
Having read Ms Butterley’s statement, senior coroner John Gittins told her: ‘I can’t imagine for one second how difficult that must have been for you.’
He recorded a conclusion of accidental death caused by hypoxic cardiac arrest due to choking on a banana at the Ruthin inquest.
Mr Gittings said the banana had been given to Dylan in an ‘entirely appropriate’ and normal way.
He said: ‘This was a tragic set of events that ultimately led to the loss of this two-year-old.’
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