Electrocuted toddler was unable to let go of wires that killed him

A TODDLER who was electrocuted in his toy room would have been dead in seconds after he grabbed hold of exposed wires in a cable, an inquiry has heard.

Consultant paediatric pathologist Clair Evans said that Liam Boyle's muscles would have gone into spasm - preventing him from letting go of the cable.

Ms Evans - who carried out a post-mortem examination on the 22-month-old - added that, despite this, he would not have suffered and would have died seconds later.

The toddler is believed to have picked up a plug and cable with bare wires and plugged it in after it was left behind by workmen at his home in Hillington, Glasgow, in February 2009.

In a statement read out at a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Glasgow Sheriff Court into Liam's death, Ms Evans stated that the cause of death was electrocution.

She said that the child had suffered electrical burns to his hands where he had grabbed the exposed wires.

The pathologist added: "As the electrical current passed through the child, it would have created an initial spasm in the child's muscles.

"This would have meant that the child would have been unable to let go of the wires.

"The electrical current would have ran through the child's heart and consequently the heart would have been stunned. Death would have followed extremely quickly, probably within seconds.

"The child probably wouldn't have realised what was happening or had the opportunity to feel pain."

The inquiry also heard from specialist health and safety inspector John Madden, who said that it was likely that the child had grabbed the exposed live and neutral wires.

Mr Madden said: "It's likely that the child had the exposed conductor from the brown live wire in one hand and the exposed conductor from the blue neutral wire in the other."

The inspector told the inquiry that this meant that the fuse in the plug never blew and stopped the current from passing to Liam.

Mr Madden added that it was obvious that if the workmen, retired handyman Daniel Rough and his assistant, had taken the cable away with them, Liam's death would not have happened.

However, he added that they were suitable to carry out the job required which was removing and faulty oven and replacing it with a new one.The inquiry earlier heard from Liam's mother Claire Hughes, 32, who found her son lying lifeless in his toy room at their home in Dryburn Avenue on 28 February, 2009.

She frantically tried to resuscitate him after finding him lying next to the wires but it was too late.

It is alleged that the infant inserted the plug into a socket in his toy room and was electrocuted after touching the wires.

Liam was taken to the city's Southern General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Previously, the inquiry heard that Mr Rough, 68, has no formal qualifications in electrical work.

The inquiry, before Sheriff Ian Miller, continues.