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An inquest has heard how a 13-year-old schoolboy from, Devon fell 40ft and died after a section of roof broke as he was running across it.
Jethro Middleton, 13, was with two pals when they scaled the roof because "it was scary and it was fun" in May 2022.
The coroner was told at an inquest in Exeter this week that the much-loved Year 8 Okehampton College student was running across the roof of the B Thompson and Sons Transport warehouse on the North Road Industrial Estate in Okehampton, Devon when the accident happened.
A section of the roof of a warehouse broke and the boy fell through to the concrete floor 40ft below. Emergency services were called to the scene but despite the best efforts of police and paramedics the teenager could not be saved.
The two boys who were with Jethro admitted they had been with a group of around half a dozen youngsters.
The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been playing around in the warehouse before climbing a shed to access scaffolding which had been in place for roof repairs.
He told the inquest that it was impossible to tell the difference between the solid roof panels and glass skylights because of a thick layer of moss.
As Jethro, known to friends as "Jet"," ran along the skylight he fell – with one of his companions describing hearing a loud "crack".
The lads who had been with him looked through the gap, to see a fatally-injured Jethro lying prone on the ground.
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A post-mortem revealed that Jethro, who was a keen rugby player for Okehampton RFC, died from an "unsurvivable" head injury.
In a statement on April 14, the day after the incident, Okehampton College principal Craig Griffiths said: "It is with profound sadness that we share the devastating news of the sudden, tragic death of one of our students yesterday. Our most heartfelt condolences and thoughts are with the student's family."
Dozens of tributes were laid outside the industrial estate to mourn the youngster's tragic death. The messages were left on flowers, balloons and even a rugby ball, bottle of Pepsi, a small toy motorbike and Easter eggs.
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