A coroner said he could not be sure that a teenage boy who was found dead in a grassy field intended to take his own life. Jai Palermo, from Hook near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, was reported missing by concerned members of his family on the evening of January 22, 2020.

A large rescue was launched and hours later - shortly before 3am the following morning - Jai’s body was found in a grassy area off New Road in Hook, 245 metres from his home. He was found with a rope around his neck and a post mortem examination carried out confirmed the cause of death as “pressure on neck”. He was only 13 years old.

An inquest into his death - held at County Hall in Haverfordwest at the end of last month - heard how Jai’s mother Nia Owen fell to the floor in despair when she was told by a police officer that her son had died. The inquest heard that Jai had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyspraxia at the age of six and had been on medication up until his death. His mother told the inquest that she had concerns about some of the medication - namely methylphenidate - prescribed to her son and the fact that he had been taking it for years without a break in treatment. She said: “Maybe he would still be alive if I had taken him off it.” You can read more from the full inquest hearing here.

READ MORE: Tiny pet has to be put down after 'savage attack' in city park

DON'T MISS: Fire completely destroys boat at Welsh marina

The hearing was told that, on the evening Jai went missing, he had gone to his grandmother’s house after school and then been taken to meet his mother so that they could return home. However, a disagreement occurred due to Jai being distracted by his phone, which was subsequently confiscated by his mother. Jai refused to go home with his mother and was instead dropped off at his home later. However, instead of actually going inside, he left the property alone. When his mother realised he was not at home she contacted her mother and her ex-husband (Jai’s father) to see if he had made his way to either of their addresses. When it was confirmed that he wasn’t at either property the family began a search and then alerted police.

After the inquest was adjourned so that the acting senior coroner for Pembrokeshire, Paul Bennett, could retire to consider the evidence before announcing his verdict, proceedings were officially concluded on Monday (November 20), again at County Hall in Haverfordwest. Summing up the case, Mr Bennett said that based on medical evidence it was his view that Jai died at some point between 6.30pm and midnight on January 22, 2020, hours before his body was found.

Mr Bennett said: “In my view there is insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Jai intended to take his own life on that night.” He added it was his view that the medication prescribed did not play a part in Jai’s death, but he did refer to the impulsivity which is associated with people diagnosed with ADHD. Mr Bennett said of the evening that Jai left his home that, “on finding the rope and putting it around his neck he did not have the ability to stop what he was doing - this was a deliberate human act which unexpectedly went wrong.”

Formally concluding the inquest, Mr Bennett confirmed the cause of death as “pressure on neck” and recorded a verdict of misadventure, saying that Jai had “failed to understand the fatal consequences” of placing the rope around his neck.