Archie Battersbee died in prank that went wrong, coroner concludes

Hollie Dance, the mother of Archie Battersbee, speaks outside Essex Coroner’s Court in Chelmsford following an inquest into his death.Archie Battersbee died accidentally in a “prank or experiment” that went wrong and had not intended to harm himself, a coroner has concluded.The 12-year-old’s life support was withdrawn on August 6, 2022, after his parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, failed in bids to overturn a High Court ruling that doctors could lawfully do so.Judges were told Ms Dance found Archie unconscious with a ligature over his head at home in Southend, Essex, on April 7 last year.