Boy found hanged in his bedroom

A boy aged nine was found hanged in his bedroom as his family were preparing for Christmas. The boy was pronounced dead by paramedics who were called to the home.

A boy aged nine was found hanged in his bedroom as his family were preparing for Christmas. The boy was pronounced dead by paramedics who were called to the home.

Thames Valley police said the coroner had been informed and inquiries were being made into the death. But they were not yet saying whether the boy's death was an accident or suicide.

A Thames Valley police spokesman said: "Police were alerted to the death by staff at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where the boy had been taken by paramedics shortly after 6pm on the evening of 24 December.

"A full report into the incident is being prepared for the coroner, who will begin investigations into the death in the next few days."

Meanwhile, a five-year-old boy was found dead at an address in Leith, Edinburgh. Police were treating that death as "suspicious".

Lothian and Borders Police were alerted after a woman was found injured on the pavement outside the address, which has not yet been disclosed. The woman was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment. Her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

A retired minister in the Leith area of the city said he was devastated to hear of the boy's death. Alistair McGregor, who retired from North Leith Parish Church in October, said: "There have been a lot of people who have moved into the area in recent years but Leith is a close community and people will be devastated to hear about this. People would say they were from Leith first, and Edinburgh second. To hear of any five-year-old boy dying on Christmas Day is a disaster."

One neighbour, François Vilmot, 31, a local barman, said that police had told him that a woman had fallen from a third-floor flat at about 8am, and that police were at the scene by around 10am.

The incident was thought to have happened on the inside of the quadrangle of buildings, many with balconies.