Tragic Matthew found at foot of hotel stairwell (From York Press)

Inquest opens into tragic death of Matthew Hamer, 9

9:30am Thursday 2nd August 2012 in News

AN inquest has opened into the death of a nine-year-old York boy who died following a fall in a hotel stairwell in Malaysia.

Matthew Richard Hamer, of Newton Terrace, Bishophill, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on July 22, holidaying with his mother, Jane Hill, at the Hilton hotel, York Coroner’s Court heard.

Coroner Donald Coverdale said: “Matthew had been for a swim in the hotel pool, went up to his room on the 21st floor of the hotel to change into dry clothes and then when he did not appear downstairs a search was made and his body was found at the foot of the stairwell in the hotel.”

Mr Coverdale said he had sustained multiple injuries, including signicant head injuries.

His death was confirmed by a local medical centre “some hours later”, in the early hours of July 23.

A post-mortem examination found the cause of death, as recorded on the local death certificate, was “multiple injuries due to a fall from a height”.

The inquest was adjourned to a date to be fixed and documents were issued to allow a funeral.

Matthew was a pupil at Scarcroft School and a popular member of Ovington Cricket Club’s under-nines team.

The team wore black armbands and held a minute’s silence at the under-11s match at Pocklington on July 24.

His coach, Alan Fletcher, said: “Matthew was a good member of the under-nines team. He had been with us for three years and he was a smashing young lad.

“He was a quiet lad really, he never got up to any mischief, he listened to what he was told and got on with it.