Boy, 5, died after ‘being exposed to cow's milk from bottle at school' in horror allergic reaction, inquest rules

The Sun

09-07-2025

A FIVE-year-old boy died after being exposed to cow's milk from his bottle at school, an inquest ruled.
Benedict Blythe, who was in his first year at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts.
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A jury heard the reception pupil was "extremely bright" and "thriving" in school.
The youngster tragically died from food-induced anaphylaxis on December 1, 2021.
He had been kept home the day before, as he had been sick through the night.
However, Benedict went to school as normal the day he passed, where he ate a biscuit from home.
The five-year-old, who also had chronic asthma, was offered oat milk by a teacher but refused to drink it, the inquest at Peterborough Town Hall previously heard.
But his parents were called to pick him up after he vomited and he later "collapsed" after being sick for a second time.
Dad Peter Blythe recalled the horror of finding his son unconscious on the floor with staff frantically trying to revive him.
'Benedict was dying in front of us and I could not believe what was happening,' Peter said during a previous inquest hearing.
The retired RAF senior aircraftsman immediately began CPR but struggled to clear mucus blocking Benedict's airway.
Music teacher Dave Read, who was working outside the reception class at the time, saw Peter enter the room and then heard him yell.
He stepped in to help as he was first aid trained.
'It seemed the right decision to take over CPR, as Mr Blythe was crying. But he was not in any way doing a bad job,' Dave said.
'Everyone was working together to do the right thing. At the time, the CPR felt like it was working.'
An adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) was administered by a first aid-trained teaching assistant but Benedict was "not responding" before CPR was attempted for 15 minutes.
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Benedict's mother Helen got there just two minutes later, at the same time as an air ambulance.
Helen told the inquest jury that vomiting was "always" the first symptom of his allergic reactions, but "how it played out after that varied".
She said the youngster was "well aware" of his allergic reactions and had woken up "as normal and in good health" that morning.
He was taken to Peterborough City Hospital but sadly pronounced dead shortly before 1pm.
Today, the foreperson of the jury at Peterborough Town Hall said: "We deem the probable source of the allergen that caused the fatal anaphylaxis is the ingestion of cow's milk protein, most probably from his own receptacle during break time."
Speaking after the conclusion of the inquest, mum Helen said: "Three and a half years ago, we lost our son. Benedict died in a place where he should have been safe - his school.
"Benedict's death was preventable and was caused by a cascade of failures -individual, institutional, and systemic."
The inquest jury found contributing factors to the reception pupil's death included a delay in administering his adrenaline.
They also concluded there was potential for cross-contamination of milks.
And, not all staff were aware of Benedicts allergy plan.
Jurors highlighted how lessons should have been learnt after the youngster suffered an allergic reaction to pizza at the school in October.
They recorded the conclusion of his death as "accidental exposure to an allergen, cow's milk protein, causing fatal anaphylaxis".
Dr Shuaib Nasser, a consultant in asthma and allergy, confirmed a "small amount" of cow's milk most likely caused the fatal anaphylactic reaction.
But coroner Elizabeth Gray instructed the jury the allergic reaction could not have been caused by the biscuit Benedict ate the morning of his death, nor the dairy free chocolate or breakfast.
The signs of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis + what to do
SYMPTOMS of an allergy usually occur within minutes of contact with with the offending food or trigger, but they can also come on up to one hour later.
Most allergic reactions are mild but they can also be moderate or severe.
Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction which can be life threatening.
In some cases, anaphylaxis symptoms lead to collapse and unconsciousness and, on rare occasions, can be fatal so it's important to know how to recognise them and act quickly.
Mild to moderate symptoms include:
Itchy mouth, tongue and throat
Swelling of lips, around the eyes or face
Red raised itchy rash (often called nettle rash, hives or urticaria)
Vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea
Runny nose and sneezing
Severe symptoms of anaphylaxis include:
Swelling of your throat and tongue
Difficulty breathing or breathing very fast
Difficulty swallowing, tightness in your throat or a hoarse voice
Wheezing, coughing or noisy breathing
Feeling tired or confused
Feeling faint, dizzy or fainting
Skin that feels cold to the touch
Blue, grey or pale skin, lips or tongue – if you have brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet
Anaphylaxis and its symptoms should be treated as a medical emergency.
Follow these steps if you think you or someone you're with is having an anaphylactic reaction:
Use an adrenaline auto-injector (such as an EpiPen) if you have one – instructions are included on the side of the injector.
Call 999 for an ambulance and say that you think you're having an anaphylactic reaction.
Lie down – you can raise your legs, and if you're struggling to breathe, raise your shoulders or sit up slowly (if you're pregnant, lie on your left side).
If you have been stung by an insect, try to remove the sting if it's still in the skin.
If your symptoms have not improved after 5 minutes, use a second adrenaline auto-injector.
Do not stand or walk at any time, even if you feel better.
Sources: Allergy UK, NHS
No traces of cow milk were found after tests on each of these food items.
The jury was told Benedict's oat milk was provided to the school by his parents, and it was stored in a separate fridge.
His class teacher, Jenny Brass, spoke at the inquest and said she would not have been able to mix up the milks.
But the jury concluded the school's routine had not been carried out on the day of Benedict's death.
They found his milk was poured into his cup in the staff room, where the separate fridge was kept, rather than in the classroom and given "directly" to him.
The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in the five-year-old's memory.
The Allergy Team and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA) also launched the school's allergy code last year.
'REAL ACCOUNTABILITY'
Speaking outside Peterborough Town Hall after the inquest concluded, Mrs Blythe said: "There were critical failings from the very beginning.
"The investigation at the time was inadequate as the evidence needed to establish how and why he died was never obtained.
"Because of that, precious time was lost - and with it, opportunities to understand what happened to our son.
"No more children should die at school because of an allergy.
"We demand change. We call on this government to protect our children with Benedict's Law, making it mandatory to have an allergy policy in every school, staff allergy training including understanding allergies, how to manage them and identify signs of a reaction, and respond quickly in an emergency, and spare adrenaline allergy pens in every school.
"Proper oversight. Real accountability. Immediate action. We owe that to every child."
This comes after a traumatised mum told how her allergic son texted a picture of the snack he was enjoying before his phone went silent forever.
George Cadman-Ithell sent a haunting message to his mum, Louise Cadman, with a picture of the cured sausages and wrote "these are nice".
But just three minutes later, the 25-year-old sent a panicked text telling how the snack contained walnuts.
The young man ran home from the shops in just under 10 minutes, and husband Joe Nolan had administered an EpiPen.
But tragically George went into cardiac arrest and his brain was starved of oxygen for 26 minutes, causing severe brain damage.
He remains in a vegetative state at a rehabilitation unit at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, North West London.
Elsewhere, a 12-year-old schoolgirl died suddenly after drinking a milkshake and her heartbroken family paid tribute.
Mia Shay St Hilaire suffered a severe allergic reaction after visiting Pop Inn Café, in Bermondsey, London, with her aunt and sister in August 2023.
Natasha's Law
By Ben Griffiths
THE family of an allergy sufferer who died after eating a poorly-labelled Pret sandwich on a BA jet have told how they have forgiven the high street giant.
Grieving Nad and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, whose daughter Natasha died in 2016, have even praised the sandwich chain for leading the way in implementing new packaging rules.
Natasha's Law - named after the 15-year-old - requires businesses to list every ingredient on pre-packaged food.
In an exclusive interview, the family spoke of their "great pride" at getting the historic new regulations in place.
They mean an item like the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette, which Natasha died after eating, will now have to list all 34 ingredients - instead of the THREE it displayed five years ago.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Tanya, who with Nad has won an OBE for her work in getting the law passed, said: "I know that Natasha would be ever so pleased this law is coming into force and we've managed to get it passed.
"You can't do anything if you are filled with hate so we have forgiven Pret. It doesn't make up for the fact she is not here now but Pret have actually led the way on changing their packaging.
"They've spent millions getting their packaging in line and educating staff on allergies.
"The new law means tens of millions of sandwiches across the UK will now have to detail everything it contains from the small trace of ingredients."
Natasha was on her way to Nice, in France, for a summer holiday with Nad and her best friend Bethany Holloway in July 2016 when she bought the baguette from Pret a Manger at Heathrow Airport.
It contained hidden sesame seeds, something she was allergic to but the ingredient was not labelled on the packet. Shortly after take-off, Natasha had a reaction.
Nad rushed her to the toilet and gave her two shots of adrenaline from her EpiPens which he expected would fight off the reaction.
Her last words were 'I can't breathe, I'm suffocating, help me Daddy', before she suffered a fatal heart attack.
An inquest in 2018 into Natasha's death blasted Pret for its 'inadequate' labelling and fault in Natasha's death, making the company vow to make a 'meaningful change'.
Nad and Tanya launch their mission to get a law changed after the inquest. It now means any fresh item prepared on the premises of sale will now have to list every ingredient it contains.
To visit the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation go to www.narf.org.uk.
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