AN innocent game of hide and seek ended tragically when an 11-year-old boy was fatally savaged by three rottweilers, an inquest was told yesterday (Wednesday).

David Kearney, of Broad Gate, Darwen, was attacked by the dogs after he climbed into the yard of a house on Redearth Road, Darwen, with two friends, after running away from another who was 'bugging them'.

The inquest heard how on December 23, 1995, 11-year-old David, along with Anthony Pickup, 13, and Mark Farran, 10, jumped over the wall after running up an alley trying to hide from Lee Flynn, eight. Another boy Joseph Doherty,10, had already hidden in a bush.

David, who had his left leg amputated after the attack, later died in Manchester's Booth Hall Children's hospital on January 3 - when doctor's turned off his life-support machine.

Anthony Pickup, of Two Gates Drive, Darwen, admitted the boys had not gone into the garden to retrieve a football and had not been carol singing as he'd said in his original statement.

He told coroner for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, Andre Rebello: "We were going to go carol singing but starting messing about instead. We said there was a football because we did not want to get into trouble."

Anthony continued: "We jumped down and were going to climb over a fence at the opposite end then we heard the dogs barking and I shouted run. Mark jumped over one fence and I jumped back up from where we had come.

"Once at the top I looked back and saw David trying to shake the biggest dog off before the other two jumped on him and dragged him to the floor. They were biting him all over his body and David was screaming."

Earlier Home Office pathologist William Lawler revealed that David had died from multiple organ failure due to multiple injuries.

The jury of six men and five women are expected to reach their conclusion later today (Thursday). (Proceeding).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.