Boy killed himself after row

A 13-year-old boy who hanged himself in his bedroom after being scolded following a row with his sister died as a result of a "tragic accident", his father said last night.

Benjamin Powley was found with a noose around his neck by his father Malcolm just minutes after being sent to his bedroom following the minor squabble. In tears at the family home in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge, Mr Powley said: "All I can say is that this was a tragic accident ... it's absolutely killing us."

Benjamin was rushed to the nearby Addenbrooke's Hospital last Thursday. He was treated in intensive care, but died at the weekend. It is not thought that he meant to take his own life and he was described by Dr Kenneth Hunter, head teacher at Netherall School, Cambridge as "happy and contented".

"He came from a comfortable, supportive home and was hard working," added Dr Hunter. Friends said Benjamin had two elder sisters, one in her early 20s, the other in her teens.