A coroner concluded tragic schoolboy Isaac Mansfield died after ingesting cocaine but said it was ‘impossible’ to determine how, when and in what manner the drug was taken.
The 10-year-old was rushed to Newham Hospital after becoming unwell at the John F Kennedy Special School in Stratford on September 6, 2023.
Isaac was transferred to St Mary’s paediatric intensive care unit in west London but died four days later, East London’s Coroner’s Court heard.
His death was judged by doctors to be a natural causes death stemming from an underlying metabolic disorder for which Isaac had received ongoing treatment.
A routine toxicology examination later revealed a urine sample contained metabolites of the Class A drug cocaine.
Senior East London Coroner Graeme Irvine said Isaac was ‘most of the time a happy, contented little boy who was cared for by his parents.’
He said that evidence ‘cannot explain how it was that cocaine ended up in Isaac’s bloodstream’, but added that it was ‘highly unlikely’ that someone with Isaac’s disability could have ‘voluntarily administered’ the drug.
He added: ‘If there was clear evidence to me that some nefarious individual had deliberately provided this vulnerable child with some illicit drug with intention to cause harm I would have no problem because I would be able to conclude unlawful killing.
A coroner concluded tragic schoolboy Isaac Mansfield died after ingesting cocaine but said it was ‘impossible’ to determine how, when and in what manner the drug was taken
The 10-year-old was rushed to Newham Hospital after becoming unwell at the John F Kennedy Special School in Stratford (pictured) on September 6, 2023
‘Unfortunately, in the absence of some admission of someone who had the opportunity to do that – it would be very unlikely I could arrive at such a conclusion.’
Mr Irvine said it was ‘tempting to rely on some of the unusual factors in the evidence I’ve heard in this case.’
He referred to the ‘curious inaccuracies in the telephone call to the ambulance service during the interjection made by Mr Montlake.’
Mr Irvine said that ‘somebody must have exposed Mr Montlake’s son to cocaine at some stage because he couldn’t have done it himself.
‘All of these things make me very suspicious, but suspicion is not enough to arrive at a coroner’s conclusion.’
Mr Irvine gave a narrative verdict which would ‘record neutrally and factually the factors that caused Isaac’s death.’
His narrative conclusion stated: ‘Isaac H Mansfield died on 10 September 2023 in hospital.
‘The death was caused by renal failure brought about by rhabdomyolysis caused by the combined effects of mitochondrial cytopathy and cocaine ingestion.
‘It has not been possible to determine how, when and in what manner cocaine was ingested.
He died after being rushed to Newham Hospital, pictured, having become unwell at the school
‘Isaac’s disability allowed me to exclude the possibility the substance was taken voluntarily.’
He told Isaac’s family: ‘This involves the loss of a much-loved child and that is something that weighs heavily on me.
‘I’m very sorry for your loss.’
Detective Sergeant Jasmine Abbey earlier told the inquest there was ‘insufficient evidence’ for the police to bring a successful conviction to the criminal courts.
‘We can’t propose a defendant, can’t be sure of the cause of death and we don’t know how cocaine got into Isaac’s system,’ she said.
Although consultant paediatrician Dr Andreas Marnerides suggested cocaine ‘likely’ contributed to Isaac’s death it was not enough to reopen a criminal investigation.
‘It doesn’t tell us who was involved, if anyone, and how the cocaine got there – so even if the doctor had said “100% cocaine caused the death”, for there to be a criminal case we have to prove a chain of causation.
‘We have to be able to identify a suspect and the evidence simply doesn’t allow for that’, DS Abbey said.
Faith Mansfield, Isaac’s mother, asked DS Abbey if the investigation into her son’s death was ‘taken seriously’.
The police officer replied: ‘I can assure you this was taken seriously.
‘I’ve spent the majority of my career dealing with child abuse and dealing with child deaths: your son’s case has been in my life for two years.
‘I can assure you I investigated everything as thoroughly as I could, and I really wanted to be able to tell you and your wider family what happened to him.
‘I’d really like to be able to give you that answer but we’re not in a position to – unfortunately, that’s just the way some cases go with evidence.’
