Coroner hits out at death of teen boxer after bout
HE CRITICISES ‘INADEQUATE SAFEGUARDING’
A CORONER has criticised a “failure” that partly led to the death of a teenage boxer.
There was “inadequate safeguarding and child protection” for Edward Bilbey, 17, he said.
Edward collapsed in the ring at the Post Mill Centre, South Normanton, on Friday, March 24, 2017, shortly after a three-round bout.
This was preceded by a period of intensive training, his inquest heard.
In the build-up to the amateur bout, Edward, of Ripley, had been taking four hot baths a day, sleeping wrapped in several duvets and missing meals in a desperate bid to make the weight.
The inquest heard that after the fight he “suddenly” fell to the floor while waiting for the result and later died in hospital despite multiple attempts to save his life.
A post-mortem examination revealed he had an “undiagnosed heart condition”.
Chesterfield Coroner’s Court was told his death could have been caused by the underlying heart condition, over-training ahead of the fight or a deadly combination of the two.
The conclusion of senior coroner Dr Robert Hunter reads: “Edward Lewis Bilbey, in preparation for a boxing competition, died as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition in combination with a metabolic disturbance resulting from intense physical training and rapid weight loss by dehydration.
“His death was in part contrib- so.”
His death was in part contributed to by a failure to have adequate safeguarding and child protection measures in place. Coroner
uted to by a failure to have adequate safeguarding and child protection measures in place to prevent him from doing The medical cause of death was given as 1a cardiac arrest 1b combined effects of an inherited heart condition, myocardial fibrosis and metabolic disturbance caused by intense physical training and rapid weight loss by dehydration.