Boy died after 'acute' asthma attack - coroner

A 12-year-old boy died due to "acute exacerbation of asthma" after collapsing on a school field, a coroner has ruled.

Joshua Lloyd, who was a pupil at Telford Langley School, had been taking part in a PE lesson in javelin-throwing at the time.

School staff and emergency services "did all they could", coroner Heath Westerman said, adding that Joshua's death on 16 June 2023 was "unexpected and unpreventable".

Westerman also extended his "sincere condolences" and said his "heart goes out" to Joshua's parents Rebecca and David Lloyd, who attended the inquest.

During the proceedings, some medical witnesses testified that prior to the incident, there had been insufficient family engagement with practitioners over Joshua's asthma.

Rebecca Lloyd questioned health providers' communications over appointments, with one body stating it had since reviewed its processes and made changes.

As to the day of the fatal episode, Shropshire Coroner's Court, sitting in Shrewsbury, heard that Joshua cycled to school and showed no sign of struggling with his asthma - he was "absolutely fine", his mother told the hearing.

He was diagnosed with the condition at three years old, and used both steroid (brown) and salbutamol (blue) inhalers.

In the course of the school day, Joshua misplaced one of his blue inhalers and asked his mother to bring in a replacement - which she quickly did.

The coroner said the parent "did all she could".

She was later informed by the mother of Joshua's best friend that her son had collapsed. She rushed to the school, the proceedings were told.

In witness statements, staff at the school recalled attempting to get Joshua off the playing field as he started to struggle with asthma and used his inhaler.

The Year 7 student then collapsed, with staff performing CPR and using a defibrillator in attempts to revive him.

One teacher recalled that "his eyes rolled back and he turned a funny colour".

Paramedics arrived minutes after the 999 call, and testified that Joshua went into cardiac arrest.

Joshua was transported by land ambulance to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford where resuscitation efforts continued, but the 12-year-old deteriorated and died later that afternoon, the inquest heard.

Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Charlotte Randall and consultant paediatric pathologist Dr Roger Malcolmson carried out a joint examination.

They told the coroner that on the balance of probabilities, Joshua's cause of death was "acute exacerbation of asthma", a natural cause.

Consultant respiratory paediatrician Dr Mark Rosenthal gave an assessment to the coroner that testified that Joshua's asthma was "poorly-controlled" and that there was a "lack of family engagement with primary care".

Dr Divya Kathikeyan, a general practitioner at TelDoc, told the coroner that Joshua had missed yearly asthma review appointments in the years preceding his death.

A telephone appointment was carried out with Joshua's mother Rebecca Lloyd in 2022, Dr Kathikeyan said, but the boy had not had his asthma assessed in person since 2017.

Rebecca Lloyd told the coroner that the family had never received letters inviting them to attend an asthma review - either for Joshua or for his older sister who also had asthma.

Dr Kathikeyan stated that since Joshua's death, the surgery had reviewed its practices and made changes, including a safeguarding referral if asthma review appointments were missed.

Paying tribute to Joshua, his mother described him as "cheeky" and "always telling jokes" - recalling how he would present his school dinner ladies with a "joke of the day".

She added that Joshua was a "loving boy" who was "greatly missed".

In the aftermath of his death, a fundraiser for the Lloyd family raised more than £10,500.

Staff from Telford Langley School also completed the Three Peaks Challenge in Joshua's memory in June 2025, climbing the highest mountains in England, Wales and Scotland in a 24-hour period.

Their efforts raised more than £5,700 for charity Asthma and Lung UK.

As he concluded the inquest, coroner Heath Westerman gave his "sincere condolences" to the Lloyd family, adding that it had been a "long and drawn-out investigation".

"My heart goes out to you, and I am deeply sorry," he said.

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